Back in September I got a chance to chat with 2009 Leadville winner and 2-time 24 Hour Solo World Champion Rebecca Rusch about racing, training, and mountain bike trails. Meeting Rusch for the first time I was instantly struck by how friendly she comes across despite being such a fierce competitor on the racecourse. A cool confidence seems to underlie everything she says and her enthusiasm for mountain biking is seriously contagious.
Rusch tells me she got into mountain biking through adventure racing several years ago, though MTB wasn’t exactly her favorite part of racing. After winning a qualifying race for the Australian Eco-challenge in 2001, Rusch quit her job and decided to go pro. In the beginning she says she wasn’t great at mountain biking (hard to believe) but ended up doing well at 24 Hours of Moab so she stuck with it. At age 40 she’s in top mountain bike racing shape and in her first Leadville 100 appearance she proved it, coming in a full 25 minutes ahead of the second place woman. For those who got a chance to watch “Race Across the Sky” last month, you’ll remember Rusch saying she had no idea how she was doing during the race so she just pretended every rider in front of her was a woman she needed to catch. Talk about determination.
As a 24 Hour Solo champion, 100-mile race winner, and MTB stage racer I asked Rusch if she thought the trend toward longer, more extreme mountain bike races would continue.
“Limits are where we put them,” she replied, as naturally as if I’d asked her favorite color. Races like Leadville and stage racing are becoming more accessible to amateur competitors, allowing anyone to push their limits and Rusch sees that trend continuing for the next several years.
Of course to be competitive in mountain biking it’s super important to use the most effective training tools available. I asked Rusch how she was using technology to boost performance and she surprised me by saying she only recently started tracking cycling power data this year. More important than geeking out with measurements and computers, she says training is all about listening to your body and enjoying the ride. If only it were that easy for the rest of us…
I asked Rebecca to tell me about her favorite mountain bike trails and she says her favorites are the ones that combine plenty of pedaling with interesting terrain. The McKenzie River Trail in Oregon tops her list along with the Alpine Trail, also in Oregon. Rusch lives in Ketchum, Idaho so many of her training rides take her through Sun Valley, ID where the singletrack is scenic and never ending.
As a Specialized Team rider, Rebecca has access to the latest and greatest mountain bikes and she tells me her primary rig is an Era FSR Marathon with 4” of rear travel. Rusch has been experimenting recently with a 29er hardtail for competition and after alternating between her FS and 29er bikes during a 24 Hour race she decided to rock the 29er HT at Leadville. Apparently the decision paid off for her, despite the fact that none of the top 5 male finishers rode 29ers at Leadville this year.
Last month Rusch competed in the women’s duo class at 24 Hours of Moab and took first with teammate Gretchen Reeves. She was also on hand at the premier of Race Across the Sky in NYC on October 22 and even hung out with fans at the after party. This month she’ll be competing in Vuelta al Cotopaxi, a 2-day MTB stage race in Ecuador.
Rebecca Rusch is truly an amazing competitor and an inspiration to anyone who likes to ride fast and long. Keep up with her (if you can!) on her blog @ rebeccarusch.wordpress.com.
Back in September I got a chance to preview MTB pedals and shoes from Time and I was curious to see how they performed on the trail. The Time Z-Control pedals ($125 MSRP) are designed for freeride/DH/BMX and are so named for their Z-shaped side profile. I soon found out these are versatile pedals that can stand up to serious abuse!
The Z-Control features an aluminum body with machined surfaces for a slight weight reduction (525 grams per pair). The Z-Control pedals also come with a chromed steel axle to prevent corrosion and are tough enough to stand up to the abuse of free riding and shuttle running. To keep things running smoothly the Z-Control sports a bushing as well as a single bearing up front. Everything is well sealed to keep the dirt out which ensures these pedals will last.
The cleats on the Control-Z pedals look very similar to those found on CrankBrothers eggbeaters and like the eggbeaters you have a choice between setting a 13 or 17 degree pedal release angle. This is accomplished by choosing how you install the cleats (see instruction sheet for further installation info). I tested the bike with both settings and even though I’ve been riding for a very long time and consider myself an expert, I still chose the tighter 13 degree release angle. For me the 17 degree option was too much and made it more difficult to remove my feet from the pedals.
The Time Control-Z cleats are 100% compatible with any cleated MTB shoe so there’s no need to invest in a new set of kicks. These pedals also boast an oversized platform that Time claims will improve power transfer but I didn’t really experience that myself. The oversized platform did make it easier to catch the pedal when clipping in which is definitely a plus in freeride / DH situations.
Riding along the trails with the Time Z-Control I have to say that these pedals are tough. Despite hitting large rocks that would shatter the casing of lesser pedals, the Z-Controls held up just fine. Since these pedals are solid aluminum they did show some signs of abuse but they continued to function like new (though I did get a few small dings and scratches).
In muddy conditions the Z-Control pedals worked about the same as they did when they were clean, though getting clipped in took a bit of getting used to. I’ve been riding another brand of pedals for a long time and I’m used to clicking in a certain way. Once I was comfortable with the motion it still seemed to take a little bit more effort to lock into the Z-Contorls than with other pedals I’ve tried.
The float on the Time Z-Control pedals is a nice touch which allowed me to swerve a bit on the bike and slightly pivot on the pedals without inadvertently releasing my feet. The ability to swivel comes in handy when navigating tricky rock gardens and allows the rider greater body motion for threading tight lines along the trail.
Overall the Time Z-Control pedals work well, won’t clog up with mud and dirt, are adjustable, and can take a beating on the trail. These pedals offer a great value for the money, especially for those who like a larger platform clip-in pedal system.
Specs from Time:
Chrome-plated steel axle
Surface coated aluminum body
SELF-CLEANING - RELIABILITY
EASY ENTRY
ANGULAR FLOAT: ±5°
LATERAL FLOAT: 6 MM
Weight: 525 g per pair
Thanks to the folks at Time for providing these pedals for review.
A few weeks back I got an invitation from W.L. Gore & Associates, makers of Gore-Tex, Gore Bike Wear, and Gore Ride-On Cables (among many, many other things), to come visit them in suburban Philadelphia and learn about their products. Although I’ve owned a few Gore products over the years, I didn’t know the whole story so I decided to take them up on their offer last week. If you’re a geek like me you’ll be fascinated to learn how Gore-Tex is made and why it works so well.
How Gore-Tex is made (skip this if you hated science class)
The Gore-Tex membrane is actually created from something called Polytetrafluoroethylene or as it’s know in the biz, PTFE. PTFE is synthesized from fluorspar (a mineral) and other chemical ingredients to form a white powder which is then polymerized to form a plasticy material. The Gore company figured out that if you expand PTFE you basically get a membrane with advantageous properties like those of Gore-Tex. This expanded PTFE is known as ePTFE and in its basic form it’s very similar to the teflon tape used for sealing pipe threads.
Gore has found a way to use ePTFE in everything from cycling apparel to coatings on derailleur cables to even artificial human arteries. At its core Gore is a technology company and they’re always finding innovative ways to use this stuff. It also helps that many of the employees are outdoor nuts like us
What Gore-Tex does
Gore-Tex basically does two things that you’ll appreciate when riding in the rain: it’s waterproof and it’s breathable. The pores inside a Gore-Tex membrane are approximately 700 times smaller than a drop of water yet 20,000 times larger than a vapor molecule which keeps water out but allows body vapor caused by sweat to be released. If you’ve ever worn a cheap plastic poncho on a bike ride you know how quickly you get sweaty and drenched from the inside which sorta defeats the purpose of rain gear in the first place.
Gore-Tex glove demo showing how a wet hand will eventually dry out, even under water
Beyond the Gore-Tex membrane itself (which is laminated inside fabric so you can’t usually see it), the key to keeping you dry on a wet ride is a coating called DWR. DWR is applied to the outside of a garment to allow water to bead up when it hits. Through normal outdoor use DWR may degrade over time but it’s simple to “re-activate” it - just wash and toss it into a warm dryer! A Gore-Tex jacket with degraded DWR may feel wet (and cold) in the rain as the outer fabric gets wetted out but Gore guarantees you’ll stay dry inside.
The Gore Quality Process
One thing I didn’t realize is that Gore doesn’t just sell liners and labels to outdoor gear companies like the North Face, Sidi, and Pearl Izumi - they actually laminate and bond the fabrics in house and perform extensive testing before they’ll put their name on any product (more on the testing process in Part II of this article). In fact Gore guarantees every product with the Gore-Tex label and will replace or repair any defective item. It’s crazy to think that if your Pearl Izumi Barrier GTX MTB shoe springs a leak Gore will replace it (not Pearl Izumi) but that’s how confident Gore is in their technology.
Next week I’ll follow up with Part II of my visit to Gore where I’ll talk about the testing facilities (including the rain room and comfort chamber) and some of the newest Gore technology. In the meantime, check out these reviews of the Gore Countdown jacket, Gore Ride On cables, and the Gore Freeride Shorts & Alp X Jersey.
On October 25 the Xterra Triathlon World Championships took place in Maui, HI with 550 racers from 22 countries around the world. The World Champs is the culmination of the 100 race off-road triathlon series that takes place around the world each year and from what I’ve read the competition is pretty fierce. We’ve all heard of the Ironman Triathlon and this is sorta the off-road equivalent.
Then again, the Xterra Triathlon isn’t nearly as long as the Ironman. Here’s how the two stack up:
Sure, technical riding, steep climbs, choppy waters, and running over uneven terrain will take a bit more out of you than a smooth Ironman course but in the end, the Xterra is a much shorter race. Strange, in my opinion, since multi-stage, 24-hour, and 100-mile mountain bike races are becoming more and more popular among pros and amateurs alike. The upshot is that even mortals should be able to finish the Xterra with a reasonable amount of training.
The prize money for Xterra is pretty big ($105,000 total purse) and more than 75 pro athletes turned up at this year’s event. Eneko Llanos of Spain took the men’s title while Julie Dibens took the women’s; it was the 3rd win for each racer. If you also like to swim and run off road, add this one to your race calendar for next year!
OK, so I actually had a dream about this just a couple days ago before I even heard about the contest so I’m pretty sure I’m going to win. Go ahead and enter if you like but I’m just warning you: it’s my destiny
Seriously though, the contest runs through December 2, 2009 and all you have to do is become a fan of Clear2Go on Facebook and fill out an online entry form to enter the sweepstakes. You can even “earn” more entries by posting photos to the Facebook page. The press release I got mentioned the ride would take place in Austin but didn’t say what kind of bikes we’d be riding. When I win I’m hitting the mountain bike trail with Lance (Walnut Creek sounds like a good one) just like in my dream.
Here’s a brief description of the contest:
Lance Armstrong partnered with Clear2Go™ this past year to help design a water bottle that would be conducive to cycling and other endurance sports and wanted to give his fans the opportunity to not only test out the bottle but take a personal bike ride with him. Lance is an advocate for living a greener lifestyle and is fully supportive of this sweepstakes.
Itusi trail @ Lake Norman State Park - photo by EZ-E
IMBA is on the ball again, this time organizing mountain bikers to comment on the North Carolina State Parks Systemwide Plan. As always, IBMA has some talking points for comments that can be submitted via email or letter by October 31, 2009.
If you have ever ridden or plan to ride North Carolina, please take the time to send your comments in support of expanded and improved shared-used trails in our state parks.
Looking at the draft plan itself, there are some pretty encouraging words for mountain bikers in North Carolina. I’ve pasted the section on mountain bike trails below but the jist of it is that mountain bikers in NC are vocal and they want singletrack in Umstead State Park. The plan also gives kudos to MTB volunteer groups and points to the trails at Lake Norman State Park as a good model for future trail development. Check out the NC Division of Parks & Rec. website to see how you can submit your comments before the deadline.
The largest number of responses on the survey from a recreation-specific user group was from mountain bikers. The survey found that while although only 39.3% people surveyed would ride mountain bikes in state parks, mountain bike trails were by far the most requested facility-type – with 19.9% of people surveyed choosing this facility as their highest priority to develop in state parks. The 2007 NSRE found that within the previous year, 15.7% of North Carolinians participated in mountain biking.
The comments on the survey from the mountain biking community were numerous. The major themes emerging from the comments were: more mountain biking trails are needed – particularly in areas near centers of population; the mountain biking community is sizeable and organized; mountain biking can be low impact use on properly designed trails; single-track trails on natural surfaces with a wide variety of trail types, difficulties, and length are preferred; and there are many groups such as: the Tarheel Trailblazers, Brushy Mountain Cyclists, Greensboro Fat Tire Society, Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, International Mountain Biking Association, and the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association are available and willing to contribute financially and also through volunteer work to help design, build, and maintain mountain bike trails.
The vast majority of park-specific comments received from this user group were directed to William B. Umstead State Park where mountain bikers were unhappy with the wide gravel road experience and noted that new single-track trails (or conversion of existing trails) at the park were desired. Several mountain bikers applauded the division’s collaboration with the mountain biking community on the design and construction of the single-track trail network at Lake Norman State Park.
I’m sure many of you already read my review of the Maxxis Ardents - if you haven’t what are you waiting for? OK, now that we’re all up to speed, I have another great set of tires from Maxxis that are perfect for those who don’t quite have the clearance for using the Ardents but need the same level of grip and control.
The Maxxis Minions come in two versions: a double-ply, 2.5″ DH monster and a more XC-friendly, single-ply 2.35” tire ($53 MSRP). The thinner, 2.35″ tires are just wide enough that they provide the rider with the extra control and traction that comes with more rubber plus the added volume to help reduce pinching and rim dings.
The Minions are sold as specifics meaning that the front tire tread pattern is different from the rear tire tread pattern. Clearly this is a good idea because front and rear tires have different functions. The front tread pattern is designed to roll efficiently and provide extra traction under braking as well as cornering. The rear tire is designed to keep itself clean and provide traction for acceleration as well as braking. Below you have the images of the tread patterns, front tire on the left and the rear on the right.
Installing these was painless and took me all of 10 minutes. This time I used new tubes also from Maxxis (FR-specific tubes that are 1.2mm thick) and a dusting of talcum powder. I inflated the tires to 40PSI (my usual beginning pressure) and I was off to the trails.
I decided to take these tires to 3 stages in Collingwood for the first test ride. I chose 3 stages for its fast rolling hills and switchbacks along with its variety of terrain types (rock gardens, hardpack singletrack, river crossings, and a few softer spots that never see the sun).
Starting off on a series of rolling hills that switch back to back and up and down gave me a good indication of how well the Minions hold a line while accelerating and decelerating. I was really impressed with how smoothly the tires rolled and how little energy was required to move these tires, thanks in part to the double row of center knobs. When I got comfortable and began to really lean hard into corners I got the same warm fuzzy feeling I got with the Maxxis Ardents. Tire squirm was virtually non-existent with zero additional roll or pitching. The Minions delivered true tracking through corners.
Smashing these into rock gardens and rougher terrain I felt comfortable enough right away to pretty much go at the pace that I usually like to travel - fast or faster :). All kidding aside, the Minions felt like they were tracking like a well-behaved bloodhound. Even when the tread got wet these did a decent job holding their own over rocks and rough roots. On especially smooth, slick rock and slimy, mossy roots the Minions didn’t grip so well, but then again, what tires do?
All in all, if you’re thinking about getting these tires I’d say go for it. Of course if you’re a pure XC racer kind of person then these may not be for you - stick to something skinnier and lighter.
My overall impressions for the pair
8 out of 10 for climbing
8 out of 10 for rolling and efficiency
8 out of 10 for loose conditions
8 out of 10 for cornering
9 out of 10 for stopping in a straight line
Specs from Maxxis:
Durometer 60a rubber compound
Usage: All Mountain / Freeride
Conditions: medium to wet
Size: 26 x 2.35
Weight: Rear 835 grams (foldable) / Front 830 grams (foldable)
Thanks to the folks at Maxxis for providing these tires for review.
Last night I watched Race Across the Sky, the movie about this year’s Leadville 100 MTB race and I gotta say it was pretty awesome. I was surprised the see the movie theater auditorium mostly full and I’d estimate there were at least 200+ people at my showing. The movie started off a little weird with a panel discussion with the riders (Armstrong, Wiens, Brown, etc.) but once the movie started it was all about riding.
Although I already knew the outcome of the race after watching it live online, I still found myself surprised at many parts and there were definitely some interesting take-aways:
Lance Armstrong is a boss. At the beginning of the film, Lance is on a MTB training ride with his coach, Chris Carmichael and you see the two grinding it out on a rocky doubletrack climb somewhere in Colorado. Following close behind is a guy on a dirt bike with two spare wheels and probably an entire bike tool kit on board. Must be nice to not worry about your equipment failing. Getting used to that level of support may just come back to haunt Lance in the race
Travis Brown rode the entire 100 mile race on a mountain bike with drop bars. During the panel discussion afterward Brown said he’s convinced that’s the way to go and it sounds like he’ll do it again next year. It was also interesting to note that none of the top 5 riders rode 29ers.
Dave Wiens is a super nice guy and you can see it throughout the movie.
Armstrong makes the comment that no one has approached the Leadville 100 as a team race (yet). Will Lance’s pro cycling team assist him in breaking the 6 hour mark at Leadville in the future?
I loved the old school rider from Denver who had probably the funniest line in the entire movie: “I’m riding the same bike I bought in the 1990s. Same front tire too.” (I’m paraphrasing)
Second funniest moment: the overweight woman in the yellow shirt running beside Lance during his ascent of the powerline climb, trying to photograph herself with Lance.
The third place finisher, Matt Shriver, had a pretty remarkable race. Yet another amazing rider from Ft. Lewis College in Durango.
Saddest moment? Seeing riders stopped at the 4 hour cut-off and not being able to finish the race.
Did anyone else notice that Lance just chucked the CO2 cartridge after attempting to fix his flat tire? I suppose a fan rushed over to pick it up and now it sits in a glass case in a rec room somewhere but still… pack it in, pack it out.
If you didn’t get to see Race Across the Sky last night, definitely put it on your to do list. It’s an inspirational film and I definitely left wanting to ride more and move back to Colorado. Stay tuned for word about an encore presentation in theaters and/or the DVD release date.
Introducing the 2010 Opus Nelson 1 (MSRP $4160.00 CDN), the much anticipated freeride bike that has been 2 years in the making. With a full 7-inches of travel front and back, this machine is purpose built. A floating shock incorporated in a VPP-style suspension manages the rear travel and a Totem coil fork up front with a onepointfive steering tube will keep you on the path, what ever that path may be.
With full head of steam on your hands you’re gonna need to stop this beast so Opus decided to use Avid Code brakes front and back, with a 8″ rotor up front and a 7″ rotor in back, giving you just enough stopping power to tame that wild beast. The Nelson is tricked out with SRAM components including a Truvativ Holzeller 36T crank, SRAM X9 trigger shifter, and SRAM X9 long cage rear derailleur. Seat post, stem, and bar are all FSA Gravity-Lite components. Novatec hubs keep things rolling (135mm through axle rear, 20mm front) and the hoops are Mavic’s 28mm wide EN521 32 hole rims. Geax Neuron 230 TNT tires provide the rubber to meet the trail.
Taking a closer look at the Nelson you can see this machine is built for abuse. With large, oversized, manipulated top and down tubes and a one and a half inch head tube, this front triangle can take any abuse that bike parks and downhill slopes will dish out. The folks at Opus (Quebec, Canada) really spent time figuring out what their customers wanted in a freeride bike. Most of the initial product testing was done in BC with many tweaks made as a result of those sessions. Taking a quick look at this bike you can see the time was well spent considering durability and ease of maintenance.
Case in point: the oversized rear end allows you to use a 12×135mm through axle rear wheel which will save a bit of weight compared to a 12×150mm but also noticeably stiffens up the rear triangle. The use of oversized bearings on the pivot points, along with the oversized brace between the left and right seat stays, contribute to the overall strength and stability of the rear triangle and suspension. Up front you have the 180mm travel, 40mm stanchion Totem coil fork combined with a one and a half inch steering tube which takes care of front end stability and strength.
As with any FS mountain bike, getting the Nelson dialed in requires setting the front and rear suspension for your weight and riding style. On the front end, the Totem Coil has Mission control settings and Dual Flow rates that need to be customized. Using the guide provided on the Rockshox website, I started off with their recommendation of 4-4-1, and then went from there for my personal taste of a slightly more plush ride (I hit many rock gardens and I need a softer compression for that). I ultimately found that my low speed (silver knob) setting was 6 clicks and since I’m on the heavier side (195lbs) I ended up with 14 clicks rather than the 12 that they recommended as a starting point.
Now it’s time to set the rear suspension sag. The medium-sized Nelson comes with a 400 lb spring which may sound like a lot but for those who are heavier than 200 lbs, you’ll need at least a 450 or 500 lb spring. Once the sag is set at about 25 - 30% (preloading the coil), you can work on rebound. Here you’re looking to set the shock so that the bike won’t spring up too fast. Start with a little rebound and hit a few bumps in rapid succession. If you feel like you’re getting bucked off the back of the bike, keep adding clicks until the ride smooths out. You’ll know when you go to far when the rear end starts to lose travel over each bump.
Descending
Well, once the suspension is dialed in, the slack 66 degree head tube, 68 degree seat tube, and fairly generous 50mm stem will place you in a comfortable position, ready to roll! Now with numbers like these this bike is meant to do one thing very well: point down and go. The great thing about the Nelson is just how well the bike descends and I found that the faster the bike started to go, the better it handled. Keeping up speed on the Nelson seems to be the trick to make it work its magic.
One comment that I made with a few of my crew on a photo shoot was how easy it was to take the bike over drops. I found that 3 to 6 foot drops were nothing for the Nelson. Just to give you an idea, picture yourself going over a sidewalk curb at medium speed - that’s how the Nelson felt on the 3 to 6 footers. For the brave, 10 to 12 foot drops are actually even more fun. Taking a look at the drop pic below you can see that the bike just soaks up the impact like it’s nothing, If you look carefully you can also see that the bike used all its travel on this particular jump. Hey, when you’re a freerider you learn how to use everything you’ve got - in this case I had 7 inches! Nailing jumps like the one below was simple and easy but with a bike like this you have to remember to keep your weight slightly behind the bottom bracket. Due to the oversized construction I found that off big hits the rear triangle sometimes brushed on my calf if my knees were tucked in a bit.
Pictured below is the 10ft drop sequence.
Here is a short video on the OPUS Nelson 1 at Kelso’s DH run.
Cornering / Railing
At low speeds this bike did fairly well cornering, however the slack head angle would probably cause the steering to feel a bit heavy if it weren’t for the wide 28-inch bars. At speed the bike behaved totally different and allowed me to use hip motion to change direction rather than steering input. With the wider bar and short stem the Nelson placed me in a perfectly centered position to allow for rapid changes in direction. Hitting berms and twisty sections between trees was a breeze and fun.
Upgrades
Having some time to play with the bike I managed to do some part swapping and found a few upgrades that would make this great bike even better. For starters, the wheels that come with the Nelson are decent and work well however I found that slapping on a set of Mavic Crossmax SX wheels with a set of Maxxis Ardents (2.40 instead of 2.30) made the bike stick so much better in the corners and the lighter mass of the wheels made this come out of corners a bit quicker. I also found myself wishing I had my Crankbrothers Joplin mounted on this bike so I could change the seatpost height without stopping. Up front a Hammerschmidt would give you a granny gear as well as the overdrive for pointing downhill. Plus the added clearance of a Hammerschmidt would also be a benefit when hitting big obstacles.
Overall
For my first time out on a freeride bike I would have to give a big thumbs up for the Nelson. It’s a fun ride, a solid build, and a no nonsense set-up that doesn’t ever harsh the flow. The frame is solid and the choice of front and rear suspension gave me a comfortable ride with no issues. If I had $4200 CDN to spend on a bike I would certainly give the Nelson serious consideration. If your budget isn’t quite that high, OPUS also has the Nelson 2 which is downgraded a bit with X-7 shifting, Husselfelt cranks, and a Domain fork but at just $2960.00 CDN. Sweet.
Specs from OPUS:
Nelson 1
Frame: 7005-T6 Aluminium triple butted alloy 150mm travel VPP
Color: White, gloss
Shock: Fox DHX 4.0 8,75 X 2,75
Fork: Rock Shox Totem coil - MCTL, 180mm 1.5″ steerer galv. finish
Headset: FSA OrbitT Z 1.5 Deepcup Semi Integrated
Bar: FSA Gravity-Lite 710 9-4, 25MM rise, 31.8
Stem: FSA Gravity-Lite 1.5 STEM 60mm
Grips: Velo VLG975 lock-on
Shifting: Sram trigger X9
Brakes: Avid Code - 203-185mm galv finish, 203-185mm rotors
BB: Truvativ Howitzer BB
Cranks: Truvativ Holzeller 36T, galv. finish
Rear D.: SRAM X9 long cage
Cassette: Sram PG 950 11.28T 9 spd.
Chain: Sram PC951, Powerlink
Wheels: Mavic EN521 Black, Disc 32 hole Novatec 992-991 Black - gold
Tires: Geax Neuron 230 TNT
Saddle: Selle San Marco Ischia, black
Seatpost: FSA Gravity -Lite SP 31.6mm, black
Just a quick thanks to my bud Ryan for helping with the video as well as the nice folks at Opus for sending the bike over for allowing me to hit the slopes for my test.
The movie is playing for one night only in movie theaters across the country and a quick check shows there are still plenty of tickets available. Surprising, especially since the movie features Mr. Dave Wiens himself (oh yeah, and also Lance Armstrong). My hope is that if this movie does well we’ll see more MTB short-run features in theaters. The Collective in IMAX? I can only dream…
I’ve got my tickets to watch the movie at Perimeter Point here in Atlanta at 8pm tomorrow in case anyone else is going. I’ll also post a quick review Friday for the Netflixers out there.
So a couple weeks ago I got to meet Nate Stinson of Down South Cyclery, Atlanta’s only mobile bike repair service. Nate is a mountain biker with a pretty sweet set-up that makes bike work painless and I’m pretty much sold on the concept now. It’s convenient, affordable, and educational - what more can you ask for?
In terms of convenience, mobile bike repair is the way to go. I don’t know how your LBS operates but at my local shop any repair job more complicated than changing a tire or installing a chain means you gotta leave your rig for a few days. For those who ride nearly every day of the week, this can be like giving up your first born child, and for me it’s meant delaying necessary repairs that just get worse with time (kinda like avoiding the dentist). Down South Cyclery comes to you and gets the repair done on the spot - separation anxiety avoided.
With low overhead, Nate is also able to charge a little less for repairs than you might expect to pay at your LBS. The Down South website offers a full menu of services and prices so you always know what a job is going to cost up front. For example, installing a suspension fork will set you back just $25 and hydraulic brake bleeding is just $15 per brake. There’s a minimum $35 charge for Nate to come out to your place but I promise you’ll get a ton of work out of that $35!
Nate is a Barnett-trained bike mechanic and clearly he knows his stuff. I sorta talked his ear off while he was working on my bike but Nate didn’t seem to mind. I learned a ton just by watching him install a fresh set of Gore RideOn cables on my Redline 29er and he even helped me diagnose a chronic problem with my rear derailleur.
The Down South Cyclery repair truck is a serious rig stocked full of any and every bike tool you can imagine. Apparently the truck is still being outfitted but the great thing is that Nate has a built-in work space in the back of the truck so he can work no matter where he’s parked. He’ll even meet you at work if that’s more convenient!
Anyway, if you’re in the Atlanta area and need some bike work done, don’t hesitate to call or email Nate and Down South Cyclery. If you’re not in Atlanta, check your local listings for mobile bike repair services - I highly recommend it!
Over the weekend you may have noticed some changes we’re rolling out to the MTB review pages here on singletracks and I wanted to talk about some of the new features. In terms of look and feel, the gear pages are following the template of the trail pages with tabs, key stats at a glance, and an enhanced dashboard. For those following along at home, take a look at the review page for the Garmin Edge 705 GPS.
Info tab: Keeps most of the same info as before but we’ve also added gear recommendations to the page. We’ll continue to tweak the recommendations based on member ratings and offer more in-category links to help you find the best stuff. We also moved stats from the left side of the page to the front and center. Reviews follow the official product details and specs.
Pro reviews: Element22 has written dozens of detailed reviews of MTB products from wheels to brakes to bikes and this tab links you directly to applicable articles. Of course many products still don’t have Pro Reviews so on this tab you can find out how to contribute your own detailed product write-up to singletracks!
Photos: This functionality has been around all summer but now it gets its own tab. View member photos of MTB gear in action. For example: Did you know singletracks has 55 photos of the Trek 4300 mountain bike alone? Scary.
Video: Now you can view and share videos of the best mountain bike products. We’ve been really surprised at the quality and quantity of video reviews, instructions, and promos already available online so we created this tab as a place to get all. Help us fill this tab up by adding product videos you find on sites like Youtube and Vimeo!
How-to: Like the Pro Review tab, this is the place to find articles explaining how to install, repair, maintain, and operate all types of mountain bike equipment. So far we have articles on servicing Manitou forks, loading data on Garmin Edge GPS units, and installing disc brakes.
In addition to the new stuff, you can still sign up for email alerts for items, add stuff to your own/wish lists, and write product reviews. Add your content to improve this MTB review resource!
