I recently worked with my buddy Chris to pimp out his 2010 Fox 40 to 2012 specs and it was a big success. Well, Fox decided to send down a brand new 2012 Fox 40 FIT RC2 for us to compare and review as well.

I was pretty stoked to give the 2012 Fox 40 a thrashing after fixing up the 2010. The new 40 incorporates all of the prior knowledge that Fox has gleaned from their other forks into a beautiful 6.81 pound package.

Intended for serious downhill service, the 40 is not for the budget-minded rider. Rather, the 40 is intended for the person who puts a premium on performance. With riders like Aaron Gwin running the 40 and winning world championships on it, I am sure we can all agree that it is definitely race-proven.

Specs

The 2012 Fox 40 comes in either white or black diamond (a slightly metallic black), with a 1 1/8 steering tube and a full 8″ (203mm) of travel. The fork travel can be reduced by changing up the shim height on the coil side in 1/2 inch (12mm) increments, potentially dropping it all the way down to 6.5″ (165mm) of travel.

As I previously mentioned on the Pimp My 40 article, this 40 comes with all the goodies: Kashima coated stanchions and low friction SKF seals are standard. On the spring side of things, a standard titanium coil (blue for 150-180lb) comes installed, and two extra steel coils (purple and green) are provided if you’re on the lighter or heavier end of the scale.

Dampening is handled by the new inverted FIT damper, which I have already had experience with. The damper takes care of high and low speed compression (up top) and rebound (down at the axle), which makes it easier for a rider to tune the bike. The FIT damper has been in existence since 2005, but this time around Fox re-engineered it by inverting it and changing up the controls, which effectively kills two birds with one stone.

For starters, the inverted damper removes un-sprung mass from around the axle, so that it is now supported by the spring. The second advantage is the improved placement of the compression dials. Previous versions had the compression dials at the axle, which made changing settings on the fly impossible. One would have to stop completely, dismount, and remove the protective cover in order to access the controls.

With the new damper there is also a reduction in internal friction, which further improves damper sensitivity. This is accomplished by low friction seals and a new bladder design.

Installation

Installing the Fox 40 requires a few tools:

• Saw guide
• Hacksaw
• Measuring tape
• Headset press (if this is a new installation)
• Star nut tool
• 4, 5, and 6mm hex keys
• Torque wrench

Installation of a dual-crown fork requires good measuring skills, correct tools, and a strong mechanical background. If you do not have all of these skills then just leave this job to a bike shop… there’s no shame in that. If you do have all of the aforementioned skills and want to do it on your own, here’s how:

Start off by installing the bearing cups in the frame with the headset press.

Follow that by installing the lower race on the fork (be careful not to damage the steering tube in any way).

Once the race and cups are installed, remove the upper crown from the fork using the 5mm hex tool.

Measure the head tube, and add the stack height of the headset. On the Fox 40 you must have a minimum stack height of 105mm and no greater than 166.8mm. If you fall on the short side, you’re adding spacers between the upper crown and headset. If you’re on the tall side, you need a shorter headset.

Install the fork, complete with bearings and spacers. Some people who run a direct-mount stem have the steering tube cut flush, as is the case in my situation. If you’re of like mind, place a mark on the steering tube where the top of the crown meets the steering tube. Remove the fork and then cut the steering tube 3mm shorter. It is critical that you get this right: anything greater than that gap, and you’re replacing the steering tube (measure twice, cut once).

Use a saw guide to cut the steering tube, making sure that you remove all the burs on the inside and outside of the tube. Install the star nut using the correct tool at a depth of 4-10mm.

Install the fork with all the spacers as you had it when you set it up the first time. Adjust the star nut tension to about 1.6Nm.

Once the fork is attached to the bike, installation is pretty much the same as all other forks. Installation of the stem, bars, and brakes is covered in this article. For more information, check out the Fox owner’s manual.

Setting up the fork does take a bit of time, but it is well-worth the trouble. You can check out our previous Pimp My 40 article for more information, but the procedure is essentially the same.

Start by setting up the sag, dialing it a turn or two on the left hand dial until you have 25-30% sag. After that, set your high speed compression, low speed compression, and rebound. We used the settings from our previous tests as a starting point (11 HSC, 12LSC, 10R clicks) and found them to be bang-on. In my case, I added +4 HSC and +2 Rebound and it worked great.

Review

The performance of the Fox 40 is tough to beat: the small bump sensitivity is right on par with other excellent forks such as the Dorado Pro. Like the Dorado, I found that the new 40 tracks wonderfully, even if the ground is full of ruts and roots.

The overall reduction in stiction is noticeable when doing back-to-back runs, compared to 2011 or older models without the Kashima coating and SKF seals. I felt that the wheel spent more time tracking the terrain than clipping objects.

On the rougher end of things like the bigger hits and gnarly square-edged rocks, the 40 exceeded my expectations. The 40mm stanchions really made sure that everything stayed straight. There was no hint of flex in the system, even glancing off rocks and roots.

The mastery over the front wheel that the 40 provides will be very hard to beat. Once the fork was tuned correctly, I didn’t notice any negative effects from either the compression or rebound controls. I loved the control layout with the compression dial up top and the rebound below. I also like how the dials on the Fox 40 have a very positive “click” to them, which didn’t leave me wondering if I had actually made a change or not.

Throughout the entire testing period the 40 worked flawlessly without a single issue.

To make this the ultimate fork, I would like to see independent rebound controls for both high and low-speed rebound.  At this level, it would be nice to have the ability to further tune the fork rather than compromise. I felt that shredding stuff like rock gardens with intermittent roller sections taxed the single rebound setting.

Being a bit of a weight weenie, I would also love to see a bit of weight removed, bringing the fork closer to 6.0 lbs. I’m not sure if that would mean a compromise in stiffness (which I love), or the removal of a coil spring replaced with air (which might change the feel of the spring).

Bottom Line

This fork, complete with the new FIT RC2 damper, works flawlessly and will be hard to beat.

MSRP: $1,600.

I would like to thank the folks at Fox for sending down the 40 for a review.

There’s one piece of gear that every mountain biker has, but most of us rarely think about: a helmet. That is, we rarely think about it until we really need it.

The Giro Hex is a beefy lid intended for all-mountain, trail, and marathon applications. It features an in-mold EPS liner, polycarbonate shell, P.O.V.™ visor with 15 degrees of vertical adjustment, Roc Loc® 5 fit system, and 21 vents.

According to Giro, the in-mold EPS liner allows them to create a lighter helmet with better ventilation and more durability. The special moldability allows them to create their Wind Tunnel ventilation system, which scoops air in on top and around the front of the head and pushes it out the back of the helmet along with excess heat.

The Roc Loc® 5 fit system provides easy one-handed tension adjustment as well as vertical adjustment, allowing the rider to easily adjust the fit on the go.

The Hex is available in numerous color combinations and designs (click here to check them out).

Photo credit, upper right: Sydnah Swails.

The Test

The first thing that struck me about the Hex was how rugged and no-nonsense this helmet looks. It may have something to do with the “matte brown lines” design, but the Hex just looks like it is durable and ready to protect your head, and it’s not going to be too finicky as it does it. I threw it on, adjusted the chin strap, tightened down the Roc Loc system, and I instantly felt as if I had been wearing this helmet for months. It has a natural, intuitive feel to it that takes no adjustment time.

Photo Credit: Sydnah Swails.

The 21 massive vents and Wind Tunnel ventilation system function as advertised: they will cool you down in a heart beat. In fact, during the late fall and early winter months that I have been using this helmet, the vents functioned almost too well: I had little excess heat, and I didn’t want to give it away! However, once things start really heating up in the spring, the massive scoops on top of the helmet will provide welcome relief while bombing down the mountain after sizzling climbs on the way to the summit.

The Roc Loc system worked great and it is almost as completely intuitive as the rest of the helmet. I still haven’t quite figured out what my favorite setting is in regards to vertical adjustment–probably because I’m not used to having a helmet that allows you to adjust that setting on the fly. However, the ease of adjustment allows you to play around with it even while rolling down the trail, allowing you to fine-tune to your heart’s desire!

Photo Credit: Sydnah Swails.

If I had to have a quibble with this helmet, it would be that the design and position of the vents makes it difficult to mount a head lamp or a helmet camera in the sweet spot. It’s difficult, but not impossible: with a little practice I was able to find the best vents to thread the straps through, and while I had to route them far down the sides of helmet, I had just enough strap on my mounts to successfully latch on to the helmet.

Bottom Line: The Giro Hex is an attractive looking lid that offers excellent protection, cooling, and adjustment in a no-nonsense package. MSRP is $90.

Many thanks to Giro for sending the Hex down for review!

And now for something totally different:  the Ripper 29, produced by Slingshot Bikes.  It’s so different that I’m not even sure where to begin this post.  I mean, it’s got a cable instead of a downtube.  And there’s a spring.  And fiberglass.  What’s going on here?

The Ripper 29 is a very unique looking bike.

Components

The Ripper is Slingshot’s aluminum XC bike.  Obviously, the Ripper 29 is the 29er version, and that’s what I have to review.  The frame retails for $1,099 and can be purchased directly from Slingshot.  They also offer complete bikes and you can get them with whatever components you want.  If you don’t care to pick and choose every single part they also offer several stock build options.  I’ll be reviewing the frame, not this particular build, since you can get the bike however you want.  Mine is a 20″ frame, has a White Brothers Rock Solid rigid carbon fork, Velocity Blunt wheels, Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires on both ends, a 3×9 mostly SRAM drivetrain, and a very slick looking (mainly carbon) FSA SL-K cockpit.  It weighs in at 25.96lbs ready to ride, including the water bottle cage and the Crank Brothers Candy pedals.

The Boom Tube is big, beefy, and super stiff.

Now, About That Cable

The cable is the heart of the bike, and what makes it so different from everything else on the trail.  Instead of a downtube there is a stainless steel cable with a spring.  The top tube (or BoomTube as they call it) is connected to the rear triangle via a flexible fiberglass board called the Dogbone Flexboard.  The cable, spring, and flexboard are part of the Sling Power system – you can read all the details about how it’s supposed to work here.  The short version is it’s supposed to do two things:

1 - Store some pedal input and release it during the dead portion of the pedal stroke, providing smoother power delivery
2 – Get small boosts of speed riding over bumps

Close up of the spring.  The bracket surrounding it allows the cable to pass through the spring and cause it to work in compression.

Skeptical

To be honest, looking at the bike and the claims of Sling Power, it’s hard not to be skeptical.  For one thing it looks like the bike would simply fold in half when you get on the brakes hard – cables don’t provide much resistance to compressive forces after all.  The bike looks so radically different from anything else on the market it just makes you wonder.  That said, Slingshot Bikes have been around since 1982, so if it’s all just smoke and mirrors you’d think they’d be long gone by now, so maybe there’s something to it.

The Dogbone Flexboard holds the Ripper’s front and rear halves together.

I’ve had one real trail ride on the bike so far, and I’ve got to say, the Ripper doesn’t ride like it looks.  I thought it would buck up and down, but it’s surprisingly stiff and rides, well, like a bike, not really any funny business going on.  In fact, one of the first things I did after unpacking the bike was to do a stoppie and see if it would fold up on me.  As you can see below, that Dogbone Flexboard is pretty dang stiff!  The carbon fork flexed a whole lot more than the frame did.  I’ll be riding this bike hard for the next month or so and will report back with a final review then.  I may even let a few other local riders try it out and get their thoughts on it.

The fork flexes a lot, but the frame is way stiffer than I imagined it to be.  Not sure why I look like Quasimoto…

Special thanks to Slingshot for lending me the bike for the review.

Photo Gallery

The lower cable connection.  The seat tube is a big beefy T-shaped tube.

I like the clean, simple, understated graphics.

The headtube badge is pretty sweet too.

Tire clearance isn’t spectacular, but should be plenty for the bike’s XC intentions.

One drawback of losing the downtube: only one water bottle cage mount.

Over the Christmas break I had a chance to put together a new DJ bike after retiring my older Opus. This year I decided to go with the Banshee AMP after a great season of riding the Banshee Legend. Calling up Banshee and ordering an Amp frame in black was an easy decision.

I had to wait a while as the company was completely sold out at the time. Thankfully, the guys were cool enough to ship it out immediately after it arrived, since I was seriously stoked to build it up!

The AMP can be purchased as a frame-only or as a complete bike. I opted to go with the frame-only and build it the way I wanted with a mix of black, red, and white components. With gear from Answer, Manitou, SunRinglé, Twenty6, Loaded, Cane Creek, and Syncros, I was good to go.

Specs

The AMP frame is tight with some unique features. It’s been designed not only to be a good jumper, but a great park bike as well. With a relatively low bottom bracket (12.4″ with a 100mm travel fork), a 68.5° head angle, and a 69.5° seat angle, this is a tight turning, flickable bike.

As I looked over the frame I could see right away what Keith and Jay had in mind when designing this bike: simple, strong, and lightweight. Every effort went into making this ride as stiff as possible without compromising weight. The internal ribbed rear chain stays (same idea in the Legend) add strength without much weight, and are mated to tough vertical drop outs and a reinforced bottom bracket shell. With a 100mm fork installed you have a short 1024-1049mm wheel base (small size) and a stand-over height of only 24.5″ (625mm). This is achieved in part by using an integrated headset for the most compact stack height possible.

Pictured above is the packaging for the complete Cane Creek 40 Integrated headset. You can only imagine how small the actual headset is. I even ordered the tall carbon cover so I could get some height to my stem without a stack of spacers.

The Build

I decided that because of the riding I do (mostly the indoor bike park in the winter and dirt jumps in the summer), I was going to make sure I could stop, climb over obstacles, and get the bike up to speed quickly. To do all of that I needed to make it light. I also took into consideration some of the things that I will not be doing (20 ft. drops or 360-degree back flips) and opted out on some features.

Unpacking the bike took a bit of time. I first installed a seatpost (a simple 30.9mm post I use just for service is shown) and started cleaning the frame so I could install the decals.

I decided to run the Manitou Circus Expert this time around. I loved using the Circus Comp on my old bike, and after a service it is still running strong. But I wanted to build this DJ bike as light as I could, so the Expert was the way to go.

Installing the Cane Creek headset is pretty easy. Since all you have to do is install the lower crown race and the bearings (no need for cups), the only difficult thing is cutting the steering tube to the correct height.

Establishing the correct height is easy enough, especially when you follow Cane Creek’s video instructions.

The next thing I was looking for was a balance between weight and strength in the parts I chose. I looked at what I had on hand, and the Syncros Fric stem that I reviewed not too long ago was first on the list. The Fric is lightweight, and at 45mm it is the perfect length for this application.The unique design of the Fric makes this unit friendly to the *anatomy*: close-fitting, without any bulk or sharp edges.

The drivetrain on a DJ bike is pretty dead simple. I needed a crank and a single cog for the rear. Up front I had to consider both strength and cost, as cranks on DJ bikes tend to take a lot of abuse. I also wanted something to match the bike’s colors. Again, going over the parts that I had on hand, I chose the Respond cranks from RaceFace. With a 165mm crank arm length and single ring compatibility, this was it. I just had to install the bottom bracket and toss on a 32T e*thirteen chain ring and life was good.

In the photo above you can see that the AMP comes with ISCG 05 tabs, which is great, but I am opting not to add a chain guide. It’s an option for a future change if needed.

The AMP does come with two spare derailleur hangers, in case I choose to run the bike as a 1×10 or 1×9 (for 4X or as a speedy park bike).

Lastly, I wanted fairly strong wheels but not totally beastly ones that would hinder the light, flickable feeling. Running a set of Charger Pros from SunRinglé was just the ticket (in case you’re wondering, I used these all season last year on my FR bike). The myriad adapters available for these wheels and the addition of the SunRinglé 135×12 conversion axle make these a great set for this project. The addition of the axle allowed me to use bolts to tighten these down. (It is a much better option than a quick release when dealing with vertical drop outs.)

People usually install just a rear brake on dirt jump bikes. I’ll use this bike for a variety of riding conditions, so I decided to run both front and rear brakes. I had a set of Formula The ONE’s on hand, and while they’re totally overkill, these are just the ticket for stopping on a dime with minimal weight. The only concern here is that the wheel has to be set properly on the chain stay so that the rotor does not contact the caliper.

Speaking of rotors, Ashima was nice enough to send me a set of their new prototype lightweight rotors. At 67 grams apiece, these are stupidly light.

I finished off the bike with Twenty6 pedals, a Loaded seatpost and bars, and a Silverado Syndicate saddle from WTB.

I was ready to rip.

First Impressions

I took the newly-built AMP to my favorite place to ride this time of year: Joyride 150. It’s a great spot for testing out a DJ bike. I have written about Joyride before, and the fact that they continue to improve the place never fail to impress me. With a bunch of refinements to the intermediate skinnies and the jumps, Joyride always feels fresh. The XC track has been also been improved with some additional skinnies and more challenging features to really add to the excitement.

Right off the start I could tell that this ride was significantly lighter, faster, and more responsive than other DJ bikes I’ve owned. I found that the bike sailed over table-top jumps without a problem. I could literally do them all day long. The very low weight also made it easier to handle while in the air. Speaking of air I found a new love for the foam pits. Spending days at the foam pit with the AMP, I had a great time learning how to do 360′s and tail whips. Did I actually land them? Not yet but getting close. In the air I found the buttery smooth headset really allows me to spin the bike very fast while attempting to whip.

Not only was the bike a great jumper, it handled very well on skinnies. I found that even on the gas pipes in the advanced skinny section I had decent control.

The MSRP for the frame is $675, but I am sure you can grab one for a couple of dollars less than that. A complete bike build like mine may cost around $2,000 if you find deals here and there on components. The great thing about a frame build-up is that you can make it as nice or as economical as you like. Half the fun is putting the bike together and choosing the color palette.

The other half, of course, is the ride.

Bottom line: The AMP frame, in my opinion, is definitely on the top of the food chain as far as hardtail dirt jumpers are concerned. With its outstanding performance on skinnies and pump tracks and its amazing flickable feeling in the air, the AMP really makes me smile whenever I’m aboard it!

If you’re planning on hitting up the dirt jumps or buying a park bike, check out the Banshee AMP for yourself!

I would like to thank the folks at Banshee for setting me up as well as the folks at Manitou for the Circus DJ up front. A big thanks to the folks at Joyride for keeping up the great work and providing a fun, safe place to ride!

This past weekend mudhunny and I hit Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City, UT to check out the latest and greatest outdoor gear. And while Outdoor Retailer isn’t all about bikes like Interbike, many brands familiar to mountain bikers were at the show with the latest tech for 2012. Here are the highlights.

Footwear

FiveTen had the full line of freeride and MTB shoes at the show, including the new Maltese Falcons. These lightweight, clipless-ready MTB shoes feature the company’s Stealth S1 rubber soles for incredible friction on hike-a-bike stretches. Just looking at the line you can see the company’s attention to detail with flat crank-side profiles, lace protection, and supportive ankle straps. Word is the company is also working on more XC-style offerings as well – can’t wait to see what they come up with!

Hydration Packs

Sierra Designs Rohn hydration pack: back panel and hip belt pockets.

We came across a couple new names in the hydration pack market this year: Sierra Designs and Ultimate Direction. Avid campers and hikers should already be familiar with Sierra Designs but the company recently added packs suitable for mountain biking including the Rohn 15. My favorite features of this pack: the airy, padded back panel and the oversized hip belt pockets, perfect for stashing energy bars and a small camera.

Ultimate Direction hydration pack.

Ultimate Direction is a brand that’s well known among long distance runners for their hydration belts and hand-held bottles but this year they’re moving into the hydration pack market with a full line of bags. The packs appear to be high quality and well designed so we’ll be keeping our eyes on Ultimate Direction this year.

Helmet Cameras Galore

Get ready for more competition in the MTB helmet camera market this year! Aside from cramming more pixels and features into helmet cams, manufacturers are also focusing on smaller form factors and innovative data collection on the trail.

The Replay XD claims to be the world’s smallest full HD camera which makes it a cinch to mount just about anywhere. The true bullet-cam shape is designed to fit the company’s swivel and tilt mounts and there’s an HDMI output which allows you to stream live video (separate hardware required of course). The Replay XD1080 features a 135-degree field of view which is a bit narrower than other helmet cams on the market (many are 170-degrees). The upshot: less distortion (fish-eye) but singletrack may suffer from the tunnel effect.

The GoBandit packs half a dozen sensors into a new helmet camera package set for release later this year. Like the ContourGPS, the GoBandit integrates a GPS sensor but the GoBandit adds a barometric altimeter, heart rate monitor, 3-axis Gyro sensor, and a 3D acceleration sensor. All that data can be overlaid on your video so you can check G-forces on your jumps or your pitch in corners. The entire package is waterproof and features a wi-fi link so you can use your smartphone as a viewfinder.

Heads Up Goggles

I was already familiar with Recon Instruments‘ heads-up ski Goggles from various press releases but Outdoor Retailer was my first opportunity to see how they worked in real life. Why should you care? Well, the company is getting close to releasing an MTB version of the goggles so this is sort of a preview of what’s the come!

The display isn’t exactly what I would call “heads up”; in reality you have to look down to see the screen, taking your focus off what’s directly in front of you. Still, the screen is very readable and besides all the normal GPS stuff you’d expect (speed, distance, elevation) you can also view a map of where you are. The ski version comes pre-loaded with maps from hundreds of resorts; hopefully the MTB version will have park maps as well.

New Materials

It seems like everyone is finding new uses for Cocona, a breathable, waterproof coating that can be applied to yarns and materials like merino wool. Pearl Izumi is using the technology in their latest jackets and the North Face has their own flavor of Cocona called Flash Dry that’s making its way into the line. Cocona claims to produce more breathable fabrics than competitors and also faster drying materials as well. Look for Cocona to make its way into more MTB apparel in the next few years.

The outdoor industry continues to push new technology into all sorts of products and it’s interesting to see how innovations developed in other sports like mountaineering and trail running make their way into MTB products. It turns out we all just want to go faster and farther than ever before!

After testing six different full suspension 29ers at Interbike last year, I decided it was finally time to get one for myself. I’ve owned several hardtail mountain bikes since 1992, including a 29er, but this would be my first big move into full suspension mountain biking. Turns out it would also be my first carbon mountain bike.

The Santa Cruz Tallboy was the first bike I demoed at Interbike in September and it was love at first ride. I’m told this is Santa Cruz’s best selling mountain bike which says a lot since the company makes a bunch of great bikes (including the sexy V-10 Syd recently built up). And just in case you’re wondering, Santa Cruz didn’t give us these bikes – we both paid for ‘em with our hard-earned money.

Anyway, back to my Tallboy build. I decided to go with the carbon frame and Fox RP23 shock with Kashima coat (you can get the RP2 instead to save a little $$). Santa Cruz included a Fox shock pump and grease gun for the pivots but other than that, what I got was basically a blank canvas.

Initially, the biggest challenge was finding a headset that would work with the frame. Santa Cruz says this on their website: “As all of us frame manufacturers seem to be using slightly different configurations with tapered headtubes, these headsets are custom items.” Of course I read this after the purchased frame was sitting in my office, wondering what I had gotten myself into. The note from Santa Cruz made cryptic references to Cane Creek and Chris King headsets but didn’t give any specifics so I spent the next several days emailing Santa Cruz support and searching online for the right part.

Eventually Syd set me straight and before I knew it, I had the right Cane Creek upper and lower cups and a sweet Fox 32 Factory series fork with matching Kashima coat. I had the guys at Bicycle South install the headset and fork, then set out to build up the rest of the bike myself.

Ok so first, a bit about me: I am not Syd. I generally don’t enjoy working on bikes or researching parts and just when I *think* I know what I’m doing, I usually screw something up. Still, I figured building up a new bike would be a great opportunity to improve my wrench skills. And if I did make a mistake or get stuck, I could always bring the bike to the shop to have it put together the right way.

I started with the seat and seatpost, mainly so I’d have a way to hold the frame in my work stand. I found an old Easton EA70 30.9mm seatpost that came with mudhunny’s Blur and slapped a Titec Hellbent saddle on (the lightest one I could find in my collection). I was really anxious to get the thing looking like a bike so I grabbed my SunRingle Black Flag 29er wheels, strapped on a SRAM 2×10 cassette, and bolted on the rotors. The wheels were already shod with tubed tires even though the rims are tubeless but swapping those out is another project for another time.

After restoring my Redline to its original 1×9 configuration, I cleaned all my SRAM 2×10 X0 drivetrain stuff with a fine-tooth comb (and a ton of de-greaser). The bottom bracket and crank went on teflon-smooth and I finally figured out what that weird plastic piece on my bottom bracket tool is for (it tightens the retention nut on the crank arm). I attached the derailleurs, and was pretty happy with myself for actually buying the right front derailleur for my frame (it’s a high mount, dual pull, 34.9mm clamp, 2×10, in case you’re wondering).

Next I turned my attention to the cockpit. Not wanting to marginalize my Redline any further, I decided to use the alloy Syncros bars on my shelf instead of stealing the carbon Answer bars from that bike. I picked up a cheap 110mm FSA stem and Sette lock-on grips, then got busy attaching a new set of Avid Elixir 9 hydraulic disc brakes. I had planned on using a spare set of Hayes brakes but after looking at the brakes, they needed more work than I was willing to put into them at the time.

Finally, it was time to hook everything up and give the bike a spin! I wasn’t entirely sure how to route the derailleur and brake cables so I studied the Tallboy pics on the Santa Cruz website, making generous use of the zoom button to see the details. I used a fresh Jagwire cable kit, cut all the housing to size, and routed the cables. I ended up cutting one section of housing too short and fraying the rear derailleur cable but luckily I had spares.

Confession: derailleur and chain adjustments frighten me. This was the part of the build I was dreading and I assumed I would need professional help at this point. I read the SRAM instructions carefully and checked the existing chain length from my Redline. Turns out it was spot on! After routing the chain and linking it together, I attached the derailleur cables, made a few adjustments, then breathed a sigh of relief. It was alive! Final weight: about 27 lbs. which I could easily see dropping close to 25 lbs. with a few part swaps.

Of course I wasn’t completely done – there were still lots of little items like clipping zip ties, adjusting lever angles, and dialing in the shocks. All told I probably put 3-4 hours into the build and ended up doing it all myself (save the fork and headset installation).

I took a short test ride around the block to make sure everything was set, then drove out to the Pinhoti trail for my first real ride. It was a great ride and the only issue I ran into was with my rear derailleur cable slipping loose (easy trail-side fix).

In the end I’m really glad I built this bike up myself from scratch. I definitely learned a lot and gained confidence in my wrench skills, not to mention I got a bike that fits me better than one with stock components might. I can’t wait to put a ton of miles on this bike in 2012 – look for a full review sometime in late spring!

This is the final post in a series of how-to articles describing my 2012 DH bike build, the Santa Cruz V-10.

Stem and Bar Installation

Before shifters and brakes could be installed, I had to get the stem and bar on the fork. I decided to throw on a matching 50mm Holzfeller direct mount stem and a Boobar (also from Truvativ). Both went on with no trouble at all. Always follow the manufacturer’s torque specs and torquing sequence to prevent stress risers which could cause failure.

Brake Lever and Shifter Installation

Once my cranks and chain guides were set, I worked on installing the brake levers and shifter. I opted to use the Matchmaker X on the rear shifter just to make for a cleaner install and one less clamp on my bar, which is always a good idea with carbon bars.

Setting the angle of all the controls is next. I tend to start by carefully sliding the brakes and integrated shifter in place first, then my grips second. Tightening down the grips, I then set both the angle and spacing of the brake levers. Finally, I torque them down with the recommended amount of force. In case you’re wondering, the brake levers and shifter angle should be set with you in your normal riding position. The pathway of your hand/wrist should either be straight (more of an attack feel) or require a slight lift of the wrist.

That’s it! My V-10 has been built up for several weeks now and I’ve already had a chance to rail the local trails a bit. Look forward to more detailed product and frame reviews this spring.

SunRingle has been on a roll lately, as they have revamped their entire line of wheels. Beginning last year with a revamp of their XC, Trail, and AM lines of wheels, they’ve just completed the full rework with their DJ and DH wheels.

I was talking with Scott, the production manager from SunRingle, a while ago, and he mentioned that they were working on these new wheels, but couldn’t give me the details. With the release of the new ADD I finally had a chance to try them out!

Specs

What exactly is new here? Well, nearly everything. Like the new Charger Pro wheels, these hoops feature SunRingle’s new 28-hole straight-pull spoked hub. With a 20mm only front hub but a rear hub with all four configurations using adapters (135×12, 142×12, 150×12, and 157×12), these will surely fit your gravity ride.

Along with the redesign of the hub to accept the straight pull spokes, you get premium sealed cartridge bearings which keep things spinning smoothly. As an added feature to help keep the weight down, SunRingle decided to run double-butted Wheelsmith spokes and alloy nipples to shave a few grams without compromising strength too much. The new 30mm hoops utilize Stan’s no tube technology and come installed with Stan’s rim strips. Included, but not installed, are the Stan’s valves and bottles of sealant to get you started if you’re going tubeless right away. Outwardly fresh graphics and your choice of hub color finishes off the wheels.

These wheels come in at 2,000 grams ± a few (depending on axle configuration), making these pretty competitive as far as weight is concerned.

Installation

Installing a set of Schwalbe Muddy Mary UST tires was a snap (literally)–all that was needed to seat the beads on the rim was a quality floor pump. I have heard people complain about the troubles of setting tires on rims before, but if you just follow what Stans says on the website, it is foolproof. After the initial set-up of shaking the Stan’s sealant in the tires, I was ready to go. I set the tires to 26 PSI, installed an 11-25 cassette, and set off.  Nearly all the testing was done at the Dagmar test site, with both myself and Bob_the_Builder taking turns punishing these wheels.

Testing

As a standalone test, not thinking about any other specific wheel sets I have tested before, I could tell these wheels were a bit different. Not so much in performance, but in sound. The ADD wheels feature a slightly deeper tone to the cassette body compared to other wheels. Along with the sound, the cassette engagement is a bit coarser than other brands, meaning it takes more crank rotation to engage the cassette–about 10-12 degrees compared to about 6 degrees on others. It’s not much of a difference, but I noticed it nevertheless.

As far as rolling speed with tires, these keep up with the best of them! The ADD wheels roll very fast, and even when we tossed the bike hard into berms, we felt very little flex. What both I and Bob_the_Builder loved was the durability and solid feel of the wheels while taking off and landing. Even if we had the wheel slightly sideways coming in for a landing, we noticed very little flex, where with other wheels you hear pinging spokes. Sailing off rock gardens as fast as I was willing to send it, these wheels took the abuse without a ding, which is a good testament to the design of the rim profile. Not once did I burp or flat a tire during all that jumping and abuse.

But perhaps the best thing about the ADD wheels: they sell for about $750, a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than their competitors.

I would like to thank the folks at SunRingle for sending down the ADD wheels for a review. Stay tuned for a head-to-head comparison of these and other wheels in the coming months.

I’ve always found small tire pumps to be annoying at best, and even though they will eventually fill a fat MTB tire with air, I’d rather get on with my ride. CO2 inflators provide pretty much instant gratification.

There are a number of CO2 inflators on the market, some of which even include a built-in manual pump. Regardless of the design, they all function the same way. After attaching to a steel CO2 canister and pushing the inflator head onto the valve stem, a trigger or some other mechanism releases the pressurized CO2, inflating the tire in 2-3 seconds!

Enter the Genuine Innovations Air Chuck SL. This model dispenses with the extras and provides just basic inflation functionality. It weighs 21 grams and is available at many local bike shops, as well as big retailers like REI. It generally runs about $20, and comes with one CO2 cartridge to get you started.

Since I frequently participate in group rides, my little inflator gets a lot of use. It always inflates tires correctly, and we have used it on 26×2.5 tires as well as 29×2.2. With a stock 16 gram threaded cartridge, it barely has enough oomph for a really high volume tire, but it is enough to get you out of the woods. Another nice feature is that the trigger mechanism allows a quick burst to pre-inflate the tube, and then the rest once the tire is mounted. Some inflators are all-at-once.

Click the pic to the left for a short video demo.

Pros:

• 21 gram weight means you’ll hardly know it’s there.
• Excellent quality of machining and assembly.
• Works with any threaded CO2 cartridge.
• Easy to use and fills tires in seconds.
• Compatible with Schrader or Presta valves. (I have used mine on both)

Cons:

• So small you can lose it in your pack or on the ground. Seriously, it’s tiny.
• One of the frills this lacks is a cover over the cartridge. Thus the cartridge gets frosty cold when it’s discharged. Keep your gloves on while using it!
• Tire refills are limited to the number of cartridges you bring on a trip.
• Barely enough pressure for a really big tire. If you run huge tires, look into the ‘Big Air’ CO2 cartridge. The Air Chuck is compatible.

For all regular rides I bring this inflator, one cartridge and a tube in my Camelbak. For longer rides I attach a seat bag with a second tube and CO2 canister. For really epic rides, I also bring my Topeak Mini Morph pump. (Watch for a review on that later)

CO2 cartridges run about $4 at the LBS, which is ridiculous in my opinion. I get my 16 gram threaded cartridges from Amazon in a 12-pack for $19 with shipping. This works out to $1.58 per cartridge. Amazon sells bigger boxes of them, so you could drive the per unit cost even lower with a group or club order.

Manual tire pumps will always have a place on the trail, but if you race, are a weight weenie, or just enjoy speed and simplicity, then check out the Genuine Innovations Air Chuck SL. You won’t be disappointed!

This time of year really messes with my mountain bike mojo. Yes it’s cold, but the mountain bike industry makes all sorts of doodads that allow tough guys and girls to keep riding in damn near any conditions, no matter how sack-shrinkingly cold it gets. If I really need to get out and ride I’ll do it, enjoy it, then go back inside and warm up with a slanket, a flagon of grogg, and a very high thermostat. But the real bummer of this time of year is how it follows the roughest day of my mountain bike year: Daylight Savings. Whoever thought of “falling back” should be dipped in Power Goo and thrown to the roadies.

The changing of the clocks is the twist of the knife at the end of the long, slow dwindling of the evening sunlight. Memories of warm nights leisurely shredding your local singletrack, unhurried and enjoyable, fade away and you find yourself frantically calculating if you can get your gear together and to the trailhead in time to get a good ride in before the sun retreats below the treeline. But there’s a weapon that modern technology has provided us: the battery-powered trail light. Helmet or handlebar mounted (or both), they can kick out enough candelas to rail full speed down that descent as if it were high noon in August. Just bring your credit card, because bright, high quality gear usually comes at a dear price.

But wait! Enter: the MagicShine. Modern. Attractive. Bright. And at 10 Lumens per dollar it’s cheap. (If you’re looking for another adjective, you’re a greedy bastard). For comparison, lights from Cygolite, NiteRider, and Lupine fall somewhere between 2.5 and 5 lumens per dollar. But remember the old bike maker’s mantra: “Lightweight, durable, inexpensive. Pick two.” In the case of the MagicShine, as in all of life, there are compromises.

First I’ll heap praise on this little fella. It’s bright. 1000 lumens, 2+ hours on high no problem. It’s feature rich. High, medium, low settings with a battery life LED indicator in the translucent power switch. Recent improvements to the battery case are great: now you get a weather tight, compact package that can be connected via integral Velcro strap to all sorts of tubes. Stupid simple light mounting. One beefy O ring to wrap around almost all diameter bars, the helmet mount piece (not included but available as an accessory), or whatever else your twisted little imagination can come up with. If that’s not enough, it ships with a spare ring.

So, how’s it work?

This thing beats back the shadows. On one of my first nocturnal excursions with the MagicShine I was accompanied by a Big Time parts & accessory manager in the bike biz. He, the guy with every hookup and bro deal there is to be had, compared our lights and admitted the MS was The Bomb. Well, yeah. And on top of all those lumens it was a third the price of his kit. Less weight too. As Gob Bluth would say: “COME ON.” Hang on, there’s a BUT…

As we stated earlier, you get lightweight, rugged and inexpensive – but you can only pick two.

A) This one clocks in at 312 grams for the light and battery. Compared to some other systems that claim to put out a similar number of lumens, the MagicShine is right in the ballpark. And for some perspective on how lightweight serious lighting has gotten, that’s about the same as 4.6 Clif bars, or a can of post ride Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale, the single greatest beer to enjoy after a good ride. Says me.

B) Way affordable. $99 bucks gets you a legit-looking presentation box with weatherproof battery, wall charger that charges said battery in around 4 hours, light head, 2 sizes of O ring mounts, and an extension cable for using in your hydration pack (or fanny pack if you’re Napolean Dynamite).

C) Rugged: ahhhh, hold on a second. I’ll be the first to admit I use gear in a less-than-dainty manner. In my mind it should work in the toughest conditions or it’s a waste of my effort carrying the thing out into the woods in the first place. Maybe you also have ‘packing neuroses’ as I do, but after agonizing over each tool, spare tube, extra layer, etc. (and the decision about whether the grams are worth lugging up the hills), I expect that if I brought it it’s ready in every contingency. If it’s going to fail, better to do it on my local trails where I can limp home instead of scuttling the trip I’ve planned for 6 months.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, the delicate electrical connections of the MagicShine. I used it on a handful of 0’Dark thirty road rides and night MTB rides, took it on one motorcycle camping weekend, and then two weeks into commuting on my new ‘cross bike in my new wintry corner of the world it started to cut out while riding. Not the sort of thing you want becoming a habit when you’re bombing full daytime speed down your favorite descent in the pitch black of night. Granted, I’ve traveled with the light kicking around on my carry-on bag, it has gotten its share of bumps and cable tugs, but felt like a brief life of reliability for my high output buddy.

Still, I think the fact that I promptly bought a replacement speaks to how much I like the MagicShine. For the money it still is at the top of my packing list when I’m planning any night ops on two wheels.

A couple of months ago I received a cache of Giro gear in the mail for my reviewing pleasure. Among the goods were a pair of Xen gloves.

Photo by Sydnah Swails.

Specs

The Xen is a heavily ventilated glove that is designed to breathe well and ride comfortabl,y even in the hottest temperatures. Along with ample ventilation, the back of the hand features knuckle protection in key locations in case something goes awry. The “Super Fit” palm has minimal padding, and is made of “Clarino” that is “tailored to minimize excess material, so you get maximum control and comfort,” according to Giro.

The Test

I have used the Xen gloves in a variety of riding conditions from cross country to all mountain to downhill. In all cases, I can honestly say that I have been very satisfied with these gloves!

Giro’s description rings absolutely true. The palms have very minimal material, and despite the minimalistic approach, these may be one of the most comfortable pairs of gloves I’ve used this year. The comfort provided by the Zen vastly outdistances the most recent pair of full-fingered gloves I reviewed here on the blog.

The index and middle fingers have extra grip for the brake levers. Photo by Sydnah Swails.

As for comfort in high temps, I haven’t had the chance to test these during the extremely hot months but I have worn them into the 70′s and down into the 40′s with no problems. These gloves are definitely designed for the summer months, though, so going any lower than the upper to mid 40′s will probably be uncomfortable.

Ventilation and Knuckle Protection. Photo by Sydnah Swails.

It is important to note that while these are aggressive full-fingered gloves, they aren’t specifically designed with downhilling in mind. While there is a little bit of knuckle protection, if you are looking for a full-on DH glove you might want to try something with a little more padding. If you are an aggressive all-mountain rider, though, these gloves split the difference between XC and DH perfectly!

Cons

The only question I have when it comes to the Xen gloves is, “How durable are they?”

I’ve had a small issue with some stitching coming out on one of the fingers. I’m not sure if I snagged it on something and tore a stitch out, allowing it widen into this hole, or what exactly happened.

I also have a much smaller hole forming on the knuckle of the thumb of the same hand. It is highly unlikely that I caused this one to happen in any way:

Bottom Line

This is a great glove that offers incredible comfort and great ventilation, and while it can work great for almost any style of mountain biking, it seems to be intended for all-mountain riders. While the durability of these gloves may be questionable, at an MSRP of $39.99 they are worth a look.

Many thanks to Giro for sending out the Xen gloves for review.

Specs

The WTB Nano Race 29er 2.1″ tire features an Aramid bead, DNA rubber, and a lightweight casing. The Aramid bead and lightweight casing definitely help drop weight, and at only 560 grams this tire is light and fast and definitely intended for use as an XC tire. According to WTB, the DNA rubber is a “fast-rolling 60a durometer rubber compound [...] specifically formulated for high-performance riding in a variety of conditions.” As for the Nano’s design itself, WTB claims:

“Its micro-knob design and large supportive casing conquer rough racecourses and roll with the punches on long trail rides. The elevated centerline tread rolls quickly on asphalt and hardpack, while the numerous working edges track predictably in ‘dust over crust’ conditions.”

Let’s see how accurate this description is, shall we?

Test

I’ve put close to 600 miles on the Nano as my rear tire on the Ibex Maroc. Over the course of my extensive test, I was very surprised to discover that despite being relatively narrow and so low-profile, the Nano provides excellent traction!

I think that the Nano’s traction in a variety of conditions can be attributed to the tacky DNA rubber. Despite having “micro” knobs, this tire seemed to stick to most stuff and provided plenty of power as I climbed up and ripped down the mountain, whether I was in Colorado or Georgia.

I’ve found that the description WTB gives above is pretty much spot-on. This tire is great in hardpack and “dust-over-crust” conditions, and I would add that it also handles well in rocky conditions (as long as the rocks are dry).

Negatives

As you might expect, this small-knobbed tire came up short in a few areas. Anytime the conditions were somewhat wet, the Nano started having difficulties. And it particularly hates wet roots. Trying to climb up a damp, root-infested slope that’s a little off-camber? Forget about it.

As I mentioned above, the Nano features a super-tacky rubber compound. While tacky rubber equals good traction, it doesn’t equal longevity. At about 400 miles, the Nano was already showing significant wear, and looked ready to be replaced. After 600 miles, I am in dire need of a new tire.

Before / After 400 miles.

After 600 miles.

Final Verdict

Due to the low weight and the extremely low-profile knobs, the Nano is a fast rolling tire! As the “race” designation obviously indicates, this tire is meant to be raced. It’s not really designed to be an everyday, do-it-all tire for the average Joe but if you’re looking for speed on a dry course, be sure to give the Nano a try!

MSRP on the Nano Race is $65 per tire.