Singletracks Mountain Bike Blog

Quick: What’s painted black, made of aluminum and steel, whisper quiet, and capable of traveling at hyper speeds? If you said the B-2 Stealth Bomber you’re technically correct but it turns out the Easton XC One wheel set is a pretty good answer too.

When you take the Easton XC One wheels out of the box you can’t help but admire the fine machine work that makes up these babies. Easton’s attention to detail really sets the tone: finely machined hubs for weight savings, an alloy cassette body, straight pull spokes for consistent spoke tension, alloy nipples on the non-drive spokes, and 24 double butted spokes for lighter weight. All these features culminate to make a lighter, faster rolling wheel that is stiffer and stays truer longer.  Speaking of tone, these wheels are all hand built and tone tensioned using a sonic testing unit!

Fitting a set of 26 x 2.1 tires onto these rims and placing a SRAM PG-990 cassette (11-34) on the rear, the XC Ones were ready to go. One quick note: don’t use any tools other than proper tire irons and especially avoid metal objects when installing tires because metal tools may damage your rims. Remember to always follow the installation instructions and quick release information provided.

On the trails the Easton XC Ones produce great acceleration from a stop. Putting down the power I really noticed improved forward thrust, which is great for racing. The reduced rotational mass and low wheel flex made these wheels almost feel like they were powering themselves. The low overall weight of this wheel set (about 10% less than competing wheels) also translates into improved quickness in steering. It took me a little while to get used to the ultra-responsiveness and I really had to pay attention to the amount of steering input I placed at the handlebars in the beginning. Easton claims these wheels are 36% stiffer than competing wheel sets and I could certainly feel the difference on the trail.

The only down side to high spoke tension shows up when hitting rocks. I felt every bump the wheels rolled over all the way up to my bars (changing to a carbon bar helped reduce the effect). But I did mention these are Easton’s top shelf racing wheel sets didn’t I? If you’re competing or wanting to go really fast for a long time you’ll have to give up a little on the comfort side of the equation - and for most that’s a tradeoff that’s easy to make.

Another thing I noticed about the XC Ones is how quiet these wheels run which is thanks to super smooth bearings and a virtually silent free hub. These wheels are so quiet that while testing on the trails I actually startled a few wild turkeys. The free hub is suspended by two bearings with 3 pawl fingers which grab the hub, allowing smooth positive engagement of the wheel.

Overall I have to say these are a great set of wheels that will put a smile on your face. I would almost dare to say these wheels will even help you crest most hills faster but then again it’s up to you to pedal. At the very least the XC One wheel set will help reduce the amount of force it takes to get you there.

Specs from Easton:

This week we added the 700th mountain bike trail map to singletracks and it’s amazing to see how many people are riding with GPS units these days compared to just a couple years ago. Officially singletracks members have mapped 706 trails covering 8,409 trail miles and 1.5 million feet of climbing (!). Assuming someone could ride each trail at an average speed of 9mph it would take a person nearly 40 days of continuous riding to cover all the trails. Of course you’d need to factor in some travel time since the mapped trails span 4 continents!

We’re constantly working to improve the map data and just yesterday we rolled out new and improved elevation profiles on all the maps (see the image above). Even bigger improvements are in the works including high res maps and easier GPS data uploads/downloads.

Don’t forget we’re giving away $10 HuckNRoll.com coupons with every subscription purchase this month while supplies last. Now is a great time to upgrade your membership to take advantage of this amazing resource!

Most MTB trail maps by state

Colorado: 136 maps
California: 86 maps
Georgia: 53 maps
North Carolina: 53 maps
Wyoming: 37 maps

Let me start this out by saying I almost never review nutrition or hydration products. Nutrition and hydration choices will generally be specific to each rider and what works for me might not work for you (and vice versa). And that’s precisely what makes Me & Goji so interesting and different: it’s customized nutrition that’s perfect for mountain bikers, whether you’re in training or just trying to stay healthy.

When I started training for the Sumter Metric Century back in March I’d typically eat a bowl of sugary cereal (something like Corn Pops or Honey Comb – no kidding) before heading out on a long weekend ride. Of course I’d feel full when I left the house but by the time I drove to the trailhead I’d start to feel hungry and I’d typically eat a pack of peanut butter crackers right away. During the ride I ate stuff like granola bars, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, etc. – whatever I could to get the calories I needed. Clearly this is not the diet of champion riders

About halfway through my training program I got the chance to try a custom cereal mix from Me & Goji and not surprisingly it made a huge difference. First off: one bowl of the cereal kept me full until lunch time, even on long rides. In designing my custom cereal mix I stuck to the basic artisanal cereal base which is made from organic multigrain oat bran flakes – hearty stuff that fills you up and stays with you, even on epic spins.

Of course the artisanal cereal base is good for you and has a nice crunch but frankly it’s not all that sexy or tasty on its own (it’s no Honey Comb I can tell you that ). The really cool thing about Me & Goji is they allow you to customize your cereal by adding various dry fruits, nuts, seeds, and flavors. I added quinoa flakes (revered by Incan warriors for the stamina they provide – all 9 amino acids in one package), goji (a superfruit from the Himalaya packed with phytochemicals), and chia seeds (also used by ancient warriors, chia seeds absorb 12 times their weight in water and prolong incredible levels of hydration). For flavor I added dried apples, cinnamon, and pecans

The Me & Goji website makes it easy to drag and drop ingredients into your cereal mix and within a few minutes I was able to create and order my creation. You can even name your mix and the name is printed right on the cereal canister – how’s that for customization? All the nutrition info is updated as you create your mix so you can make sure what you’re getting is good for you.

Building a custom cereal is certainly more expensive than buying “off the shelf” but with Me & Goji you’re actually getting 21 oz. of food (compare to 15 oz. or less in a typical cereal box). In terms of nutrition and fuel for your body you really can’t do much better than a personalized mix from Me & Goji – give it a try before your next epic ride!

While all eyes will be on Lance Armstrong and his comeback at this year’s Tour de France, the man himself seems to have something bigger on his mind: winning the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. In a Velonews interview talking about the Tour de France, Lance had this to say:

This is all a build up for Leadville. Honestly. Levi’s coming to Leadville. Levi (Leipheimer) talks more shit about Leadville than he does about the Tour. I’m like dude, you better step off me when it comes to Leadville. We gotta worry about Weins. I hear Weins is killing himself.

Of course “Weins” is Dave Weins, six time winner and course record holder for the Leadville 100 MTB race. You can watch the Lance Armstrong interview here for yourself and decide just how sarcastic he’s being (you’ll need to fast foward through some boring road racing news to hear it). In any event, from what I understand Lance will be racing at Leadville which is just a few weeks after the Tour ends - a grueling schedule for sure, even for a super athlete!

This week’s MTB news round up has a decidely “happy” flavor to it and with Independence Day coming up, what more could you ask for?

Lost mountain biker rescued. On Sunday a 58-year-old mountain biker became lost on Bummer Peak (seriously) near Lake Sonoma in California. Fortunately the only bummer was that he rode to the top of Bummer Peak and didn’t get to ride down - a rescue chopper took him to safety instead. No word on if he had to leave his bike or if it made the trip in the helicopter but the good news is he was able to get a cell phone signal to call 911. Guess his phone didn’t have GPS…

New trails proposed at Mount St. Mary’s University. Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of Mt. St. Mary’s University (MSMU) yet - it’s a small Catholic school in Emmitsburg, MD with a freshman class of about 400 students. Although you may not know the school, you’ve probably heard of Marla Streb, champion downhill racer and MSMU graduate. Marla is working with the school to design and build a network of 12 miles of biking and jogging trails on the campus which may one day connect to land owned by the town of Emmitsburg. Streb has a master’s degree in Environmental Science so she knows a thing or two about designing sustainable trails - we can’t wait to see what MSMU comes up with!

Legally blind mountain biker continues to shred. You’ve probably heard about Bobby McMullen, the blind downhill rider who was profiled in a recent documentary but Tommy Kinkle could probably give him a run for his money on the trail. Kinkle has just 5% vision in one eye and can’t drive anymore but get him on a mountain bike and just try to keep up! As a kid Kinkle was a sponsored BMX and skateboard rider and he hasn’t let his disability slow him down one bit. Read the article and get inspired!

Hey weight weenies, I got another one for you! Actually, this is for everyone who’s into lightweight XC gear: The Manitou R7 Elite 100mm (MSRP $450) is the perfect choice for those who are looking for an affordable, lightweight, XC performance suspension fork. The R7 Elite comes in both 100mm and 80mm travel configurations and has great features everyone will appreciate while ditching the unnecessary features that inflate weight and cost.

For starters, this fork is very light - just a touch over 3 lbs. The R7 Elite includes post mounts for disc brakes (no V-brake mounts) and the post bosses where you mount your brake are already machined flat with no paint (very important for installing brakes properly). The controls are simple and well thought out and can be manipulated without removing a glove. The R7 also gives you independent compression and rebound controls.

Installation

Installation is fairly straightforward and you can use the fork installation guide that I posted previously for details. Otherwise, here’s the short version: First, remove the old components as an assembly. Record the steering tube length of the old fork and then mark the new fork with the same measurement with a fine felt-tip marker. After confirming the measurements a few times, cut the steering tube to the correct length using a very sharp pipe cutter. Once the steering tube is cut, remove the burrs and don’t forget to install a fresh star nut (use a nut setter such as the TNS-1 from Park tools).

Setup

Once the wheels, brakes, and stem bolts are all torqued in place, the next step is to air up the fork and set the sag. Manitou asks that you use about 50% to 60% of your body weight, in my case 110lbs as a starting point of pressure for the fork’s air spring pressure. Then measure the distance from the front axle centerline to the bottom of the crown when no one is sitting on the bike and write down this measurement. Next, sit on the bike and measure the same distance as before (it’s important to be in the normal riding position, weight centered, with your feet on the pedals). Subtract the second measurement from the first and the result is the sag. Seeing that this is a 100mm fork and I wanted a 15% sag, I chose a measurement of 85mm. After all, this is an XC fork designed for racing meaning I’ll want as little bob as possible, yet as much tracking as I can get. Following the recommended procedure for setting sag will make a huge difference in performance.

Compression

This fork comes with independent compression and rebound adjustments. The method I always follow for adjusting fork settings starts with a quick ride around, bouncing the fork here and there to get the fork’s internals well lubricated. Once that is complete I hit the trail to see how the fork is reacts to the terrain. Specifically I’m looking for excessive dive when braking or bigger hits (remember this is an XC fork so a big hit here is about a foot). Based on my observations I dial in compression to the point where I get minimal dive when hitting the brakes but not enough that I feel the impacts are jarring my wrists. Once I’m comfortable with the compression setting I concentrate on rebound.

Rebound

The procedure for finding the right rebound settings is very much like the procedure for compression - it’s all about adjusting to your feel. Here I take the bike over a bump and feel for the speed at which the fork returns back. I adjust the fork so that it returns in a controlled manner and not too quickly (which often feels like a stinging sensation on your wrists). With a slow rebound setting the fork “packs down” (does not return fast enough before the next bump on the trail) and limits travel.

XC trail riding

Once the fork is set and after a few hours of breaking in the seals I hit my favorite XC trails at the DVP and Albion Hills where they host some of the 24 Hour events here in Ontario. Both Albion and the DVP offer a variety of trail conditions including heavily rooted and washboard sections - a good challenge for any fork!

My first impressions with the R7 were pretty much what I anticipated: fast, responsive, and stiff. On the trails with the R7 I felt everything and knew exactly where the fork was going; the R7 is basically a point and shoot affair. The fork tracks without flexing even when riding off-camber sections or in any other situation for that matter. When hitting roots and ruts on the trails the R7 soaked up the hits well and did a great job at keeping the tire in contact with the ground at all times, even over washboard sections.

This fork is not equipped with a lock out (yet) so to use the R7 effectively you should remain seated while climbing and stay slightly forward on the bike during steep climbs. When holding that riding position, the fork works great at preventing unwanted bobbing. Riding one to two foot drop offs I found the fork absorbed the hits well and returned to ride height under full control.

Rating the R7 Elite

Thanks to the folks at Manitou for the chance to review the R7  Elite. For further information on Manitou’s  products check out the website which is now updated with all the new forks as well as a wealth of information for all their gear.

Cheers!

R7 Elite Specifications

As we head into the weekend there are a few cool things happening:

Chicago is gunning to host the Olympic Games in 2016 but one problem: Chicagoland is flat as a pancake. Case in point: The original road cycling course was rejected because it was just too easy. Instead, word is the mountain biking event would be held in Blue Mounds, WI near Madison. The Trek company has to be salivating over the prospects…

Downhillers, looking for a free ride to the top? Check out Brundage Mountain Resort in Idaho where they’re offering free lift rides all day on July 2 as part of the summer season opening. The mountain boasts a 4-person high speed lift to the top of the 7,640 foot-summit which I’m sure beats pedaling all the way up Free is a heck of a value too considering that a regular daily pass is $25 (though that’s still a heck of a bargain).

Did you know the National MTB Championships are being held in Colorado for the first time EVER? It’s hard to believe but it’s true. You can catch the action July 16-19 at SolVista Basin Resort which is not too far from Winter Park. While SolVista is one of Colorado’s lesser known resorts, the Granby Mountain Bike Park located on site boasts 10 trails and a pump track. Get more info on the official site.

So apparently this story is getting picked up all over the place and at first I was pretty excited at the prospects: Google Street View is expanding to hiking and biking trails. For those who are not familiar with Google Street View, it basically allows you to view locations on a map as if you were standing right there on the street (or now, trail). Google collects millions of photos using a vehicle mounted camera and GPS and stitches the images together to create sort of an online virtual reality experience. Sure privacy advocates aren’t too fond of it since Google is snapping pics of innocent bystanders and private properties but that’s another debate…

Anyway, it turns out Google just mapped and posted its first bike trail - a path in Monterey, CA. The article that’s floating around doesn’t give the name of the trail but I assumed it would be somewhere awesome like Fort Ord. Fortunately this website has located the elusive Google “Bike View” trail: it’s the (wide, concrete) Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail that runs right through downtown. Ahhh, it’s that kind of bike “trail”…

The article mentions the rig that was used to get the trail shots is some sort of “trike” which I assume is necessary because the tech is so heavy (batteries, cameras, gps, etc.). Until the rig shrinks I don’t think we’ll be seeing any singletrack views anytime soon - though Google is said to be working on mapping “hiking and biking trails” in California, Italy, and the UK.

Ultimately this is a pretty cool development but I can’t see myself spending hours (or even more than 5 minutes) clicking through a “virtual trail.” I’d much rather be out there riding it!

If you’re on the fence about upgrading your singletracks account or purchasing a subscription for the first time, today is your lucky day! The guys at HuckNRoll.com have hooked it up and they’re giving new singletracks subscribers $10 off coupons to their huge online MTB shop. This offer is extremely limited and once the coupons are gone, they’re gone…

Some restrictions apply, so here’s the fine print. You’ll receive your unique coupon code via email within 24 hours of your singletracks membership purchase (free basic accounts are not eligible) and you can also view your code on your “My Account” page at that time. Coupon codes can only be used once and there is no minimum purchase at HuckNRoll.com. Your coupon code will expire August 1, 2009. Purchases of complete bikes, frames and wheels, Fox Racing, Oakley, Nixon, The North Face, and Sidi Footwear are not eligible for the $10 off coupon. Singletracks membership purchases made prior to June 25, 2009 are also not eligible. Terms, conditions, and restrictions may be updated at any time.

Of course if you have any questions, feel free to email us - info@singletracks.com - and we’ll do our best to take care of you.

About HuckNRoll

Started by the peeps who brought us Backcountry.com, HuckNRoll.com stocks more than 6,000 MTB products from 130 brands. The site opened its virtual doors just last month but it’s already taking the industry by storm. Just read this excerpt from the launch press release:

HuckNroll.com is an online mountain bike shop. You heard right. Online. And we wouldn’t be putting it lightly to say that the bike industry didn’t want us. The consensus when we first approached suppliers about launching a high-end online mountain bike shop was, “It will never work, the bike industry is different.” Our response? “Damn right, it’s different. It’s the last industry in existence to accept the Internet as a viable sales channel.”

Read the rest of the press release here - you’ll be ROFL.

About Singletracks Memberships

With a singletracks Trail membership you’ll get access to nearly 700 MTB trail maps (695 to be exact) complete with GPS data, topo maps, and elevation profiles. More maps are being added every day and your annual membership gives you access to EVERY MAP as it’s added.

The singletracks Pro membership adds an online training app and full access to the GPS data manager. With the training app you can keep track of all your workouts, on the trail or off while the GPS data manager lets you map and plot all your rides.

One more secret: you can get a big discount off our annual rate by purchasing a 2-year membership. With the HuckNRoll coupon it’s almost like getting the second year for free - just don’t tell anyone

SUN-Ringlé has be around for a long time now but these days they’re delivering some especially sweet products. Recently the good folks down at SUN-Ringlé sent me perhaps one of their best kept secrets (pssstt - listen up weight weenies). At just 1421 grams for the set (including quick release skewers), the Black Flag Ceramic Diskis a super lightweight MTB wheel set, especially compared to similar Mavic and Easton sets that weigh 1550+ grams.

Looking at these wheels I got all goose-bumpy - well not literally but I don’t know how else to describe the feeling of unboxing such an artfully crafted wheel set. The build quality of the Black Flag wheels is incredible - the spoke line was dead straight (which contributes to a longer lasting wheel build) and all the spokes were tensioned precisely. Overall the Black Flag wheels have relatively high tension at the spokes (though not as high as others like the Easton XC-Ones) which sets the overall feel and performance characteristics of the wheels. Spinning the wheel in free air I could really see how smooth the ceramic bearings were and just how true this wheel set was right out of the box. Can you say butter?

Placing a set of XC tires on the Black Flags was bit of a chore, though that probably had something to do with my tire choice. Other than that installation was a snap - just bolted on my rotors (160mm front and 140mm rear) and a cassette and I was off to the trails.

Talk about lightweight! At first I was a little worried that the Blag Flag wheels were really a set of road wheels in disguise because they felt so light. On the XC trails I was floored at how much faster and how many taller gears I could push with these wheels and I found that I was riding the large front ring a whole lot more than on my typical training ride. Putting the power down, these wheels just went - the low rotational mass combined with the ceramic bearings make for a super fast rolling wheel set. For such a light set of wheels I was impressed by the amount of control these babies offered in tight, twisty turns. I found these wheels to be stiff enough to keep them pointed where I wanted without being so stiff that they knocked my teeth loose.

Overall the Sun-Ringle Black Flag Ceramic wheel set is great for its intended purpose - fast XC trail riding. While you won’t want to use these if you plan on hucking around, the Black Flag wheels are the perfect set to use for race day. If you’re on the heavier side of 180lb these wheels may not be a good fit but running a slightly higher volume tire (2.1″ vs. 1.95″) can give you some added protection against heavy hits. The Black Flags Ceramic wheels are certainly an impressive and lightweight XC wheelset - give them a try!

Cheers!

The Sun-Ringlé Black Flag Ceramic wheel set is sold at most great local bike shops for around $840 MSRP (some dealers may sell for less). Fortunately these wheels are not über-expensive, especially compared to wheel sets with MSRP’s over $1100 for essentially the same thing.

Specifications from Sun-Ringle:

• For XC race conditions
• Black anodized, welded Equalizer 21 rims – disc brake only
• Black anodized Dirty Flea hub set with sealed ceramic bearings
• Hole Count: Front 28 and rear 28
• Wheelsmith high performance spokes – black finish
• Wheelsmith alloy nipples – black ano
• New SUN-Ringle alloy QR with hollow chromoly axles
• 26″ – 559mm
• Weight: 1421g

I’ve been using Yakima car roof racks for at least 10 years now - in fact, THE SAME two Yakima racks and 4 bike trays to be precise. Both the racks and trays have held up pretty well despite a few incidents involving low clearance structures and more than a hundred thousand driving miles which is a real testament to the quality of Yakima products.

Anyway, I recently purchased a used Subaru (also my first car purchase in 10 years) and needed a way to throw the bikes on top. The car came with a factory roof rack with two aero crossbars and after initially considering new Q-clips (think that’s what they’re called) I remembered 2leftfeet’s post about the Yakima Raptor Aero, a bike tray that attaches to factory roof racks. Sure enough, Yakima now makes several bike trays that attach to factory roof racks and I ended up with the new Universal Forklift for my ride.

The Universal Forklift is super quick to install and requires zero tools. You could probably get away with skipping the instructions but I’d recommend at least glancing to make sure you’re on track Initially my tray was a bit wobbly on the highway but after adjusting the clamps to a smaller notch I was able to get a rock solid fit. To be honest some of the wobble was probably due to the aero bars themselves and if I were hauling two heavy bikes I’d probably face one forward, one backward to balance the load. Some online reviewers complain about wobble and the Universal Forklift may have problems with specific vehicle rack systems - just be sure to buy yours from a store with a decent return policy just in case the tray doesn’t work out for your specific factory rack situation.

Bikes with fat forks and disc brakes are no problem for the oversized fork clamp on the Universal Forklift. The rear tire strap is much improved and easily slides along the length of the tray to accommodate bikes of various lengths. The strap itself is long enough to wrap around even the fattest tires.

In terms of looks and quality of construction, Yakima has really refined things a lot since I bought my first system 10 years ago. Everything about the Universal Forklift is aerodynamic, buttoned down, and smooth - from the fork clamp action to the plastic pieces that cover every nut and bolt. My old Yakima lock cores fit the new tray just fine, though a few online reviewers claim to be worried about the security of the Universal Forklift. I have two things to say about this: 1. The fork clamp appears no more secure/insecure than the classic Steelhead (the best selling fork mount on the market) and 2. I wouldn’t recommend counting on ANY car roof rack for truly secure bike storage. Integrated rack locks are great for securing your bike in the Burger King parking lot after a ride but if you’re planning to lock your bike to your car overnight I suggest a better solution (like putting the bike INSIDE the car or your hotel room).

Overall the new Yakima Universal Forklift is a great solution at a reasonable price for anyone who already has a factory roof rack on their car. Clearly people have been wanting a factory-compatible bike tray like this for a while now - just last month REI.com was sold out and I had to go to 2 area stores just to find one in stock. Why didn’t Yakima or anyone else think of this sooner!?

On June 12, 2009 the Tour Divide kicked off in Banff, Alberta (Canada) with an international field of 42 riders. The completely self-supported race from Banff to Antelope Wells, NM at the Mexican border is roughly 2,500 miles long, making it the world’s longest MTB race.

This year all the competitors are using Spot GPS devices, providing real time location updates to an online leaderboard (using software powered by none other than TopoFusion). At last check the front runners had entered the state of Colorado which is a bit over the halfway mark. Not bad for just 11 days on the trail Matthew Lee has a pretty good lead at the moment but anything can happen when you’re racing your mountain bike 2,500 miles!

So far competitors have encountered icy trails, wild animals, broken equipment, rain + hail - pretty much anything you can imagine and more. You can track competitors and read more updates on the TourDivide.org website.