At Interbike last month, element22 and I got a chance to chat with Tony Ellsworth, founder and CEO of Ellsworth Handcrafted Bikes. These days only a handful of bike companies bear the names of their founders (Gary Fisher and Ritchey come to mind), perhaps because it places accountability for product quality on the shoulders of an individual rather than a faceless corporation. Clearly Tony gets this and it shows in his genuine energy and excitement when he talks about his bikes, from the underlying technology to the manufacturing process and everything in between.

Rather than going over specific bikes at the show, Tony dived right in to a deep discussion of Instant Center Tracking (ICT) suspension technology. ICT is the patented suspension set-up featured on all Ellsworth FS mountain bikes and according to Ellsworth it’s the most efficient set-up out there. I won’t get into the math behind the claim here but you can check out an interactive demo on Ellsworth’s website (click the ICT Technology link) that compares ICT to the other major suspension designs (VPP, 4-bar, and FSR).

Of course element22 noticed the quality of machine work on the Ellsworth bikes on display at the show and Tony was proud to point out that most, if not all, of that work was done in house. Check out the documentary-quallty video below to see how mountain bikes are made at the Ellsworth factory in Vancouver, WA just outside Portland, OR. It’s amazing how much thought and consideration goes into building handcrafted mountain bike frames.

After meeting with Tony and going through the Ellsworth website I really got the sense that technology and quality are more important than marketing hype at the company. Rather than focusing on the new colors for 2011 or adding new “features” to products, Ellsworth seems content to let the tech and manufacturing do the talking. Of course now the only thing left to do is to see how all of that translates on the trail – hopefully we’ll get the chance to post detailed test ride reviews soon!

This year Ellsworth will debut SST tubing on their Truth, Evolve, Epiphany, and Moment frames and it looks like an interesting development. SST stands for “swagged, shaped, and tapered” (sounds like something from the Waffle House) and unlike hydroformed tubing, this method relies on hand shaping. According to Ellsworth, the advantages are plenty:

• Enhanced clearances: Makes it easier to access adjustment knobs on the frame and decreases standover height.
• Increased lateral stiffness: Bike is more responsive overall (acceleration, cornering, etc.)
• Reduced weight: Places material only where it’s needed.

We’re interested to see how SST tubing looks up close and how it performs on the trail. Check out the diagram below to see how this works.

Hey everyone, sorry for the late post today. There’s still a great article by element22 about AM stuff from Easton coming later this evening but in the meantime thought I’d share just a couple items that I’ve been collecting:

Ellsworth is offering buyers $500 off a new rig! All you have to do is bring in a bike to donate to Trips for Kids to your Ellsworth dealer and they’ll hook it up. Remember what I was saying about doing good this season? Now you can do good AND get a reward (as if you needed one anyway).

JensonUSA is holding their “12 Days of Christmas” sale again this year and somehow we’re already on Day 2 (is Christmas really coming that soon?). Today’s deal is 44% off the Camelbak Octane 8+ which got a 5-star rating here on singletracks. Can’t wait to see what the deal is tomorrow!

We’re also collecting funds to help out one of our members, Bombardier, get some of his stuff out of storage. If you read the forum thread and want to help out, hit me (Jeff) up on the contact page and I’ll let you know what to do.

So this may be a bit on the late side but seeing that most of this stuff still hasn’t hit the stores yet I thought I’d share these pics. What I have here is a compilation of my favorite photos from the show with some brief commentary so sit back and enjoy!

By far the coolest frame set I saw (next to the Banshee Legend) is the Intense 951 pictured above. I found myself just staring at this bike for far to long and almost missed my next appointment. Up close to this frame set you can see the quality work that went in to making this one of the most desirable DH frames around. With 150mm G3 rear axle spacing, one point five head tube, and over 8 inches of travel provided by an ohhh so nice Cane Creek double barrel rear shock this bike looked delicious.

Above, the same Intense 951 in red. Still nice, and this one was built up with Shimano Saint components and an Industry 9 wheel set with a Fox 40 RC2 up front and a DHX RC4 in rear. Can you say Sweet?!

Here is something that I personally want and not just for the red and orange anodized finish. The Ellsworth Rogue is a freeride bike with attitude. Not only does it look great but I had a chance to test ride one like this at Bootleg and it was super fun (the only down side – the run was too short). With 8 inches of rear travel and the Fox 40 RC2, this bike is a kick-butt machine.

It was hard to stop looking at Intense with all their models so close yet oh so far away. Here we have a pair of Uzzi frames. The Uzzi in blue has a Fox DHX Air 5 and the Red has the standard DHX 4 coil. You can also get this bike with the Cane Creek double barrel, at a cost of course.  For those who plan on taking big hits and hitting the park all day long you may not need look any further than the Uzzi.

This Ibis above boasts builds in the 25 pound range with 5.5 inches of DW link rear travel for those who want a quicker, snappier ride on a bike that won’t punish you too much after riding all day long. The Ibis can be ordered in various trim levels from Sram XX or X-9 group parts to Shimano XTR, XT or SLX.

I love cut-aways of bike stuff and there were plenty at Interbike to ogle. Here you can see a cut-away of the Fox RP23 with boost valve technology on your left, the new improved DHX AIR RC4 in the middle, and a 32mm F series front fork with Fit technology (borrowed from the 36 and 40mm forks) on the right. The Fit damper now allows the engineers to further save weight on the 32mm line-up by reducing the amount of fluid needed in that damper housing. Get close to a new 32mm fork and you will also notice that the engineers changed up the way the fork works as well by placing the rebound adjuster on the bottom (previous models placed the lock-out on the bottom). Check out FoxRacingShox.com for further information.

Walking around Interbike you couldn’t help but notice the Mavic display. Looking at the line up for next year they have really improved the wheels, especially for the trail and enduro riders out there. The new Crossmax ST wheels are even lighter than before, now at just 1615 grams. Mavic also changed up the graphics on the rims.

The new Deemax Ultimate at 1915 grams a set is absolutely crazy light for a full-on DH wheel set. These wheels come with all the bells as whistles to make them both strong enough and light enough for the demands of the DH circuit. The Deemax wheels also sport my favorite ITS4 cassette body and ISM (inter spoke milling with central spine) which reduces mass on the rim without loosing strength.  Check out Mavic.com for more info on these and the rest of the line up.

Here is just a random photo of the new carbon Ellsworth Enlightenment. What caught my eye here is the fine machine work on a part that just holds the brake and rear wheel. This attention to detail is second to none.

This bike was another one of those that you had to stop and drool over for a while. The Banshee Rune pictured here was shown in flat black and bright orange components. The Crankbrothers Iodine AM wheels along with Race Face AM cranks and bars (not shown) really made this bike and the components just added to the already awesome construction of this frame. You have to check out the Banshee website for more information on this bike as well as the rest of their line-up.

Hubba hubba… umm sorry. But just in case you have no clue what this is, this is the new aluminum version of the Dorado DH fork from Manitou. I am dying to do a review on this unit. This fork has everything a racer would want: high and low speed compression, rebound, and top-out and bottom-out control. To top it all off, these forks are assembled right here in the States. With 36mm stanchions and an inverted design this fork will take a kicking and keep on bouncing.

Answer is back with all new products this year. New thin and stout pedals, super wide 780mm DH bars, and 720mm AM bars are also available. The bars will come in two versions: a one-inch and two-inch rise for the AM Bar and half-inch and one-inch rise for the DH bar. A direct mount stem for the Dorado allows you to change the reach from 45, 50, 55mm while providing a strong grip to the bar with its wide face plate.

Sun-Ringle has totally revamped the line-up with new hubs, rims and colors that promise to impress everyone. The hub shot above gives just a taste of what you can expect to see in 2010. Straight pull spokes, anodized hubs and aluminum cassette bodies.

What’s not to like about the new Hayes Stroker Ace look for this year? Now in jet black with bronze-ish piston covers, this is one great looking, high performance brake set. Along with the Stroker Ace the entire line up now boasts new graphics and now the Stroker Grams come in all white.

Well that does it for my list of favorites from Interbike – hope you enjoyed the pics!

Some cool notes that don’t warrant a full post:

The most expensive hardtail I’ve ever seen. The Lapierre Prorace 900 retails for a cool $6,999 (at least it’s under 7 grand) and I imagine almost half that cost goes toward the SRAM XX components. See that guy standing behind the bike? I’m pretty sure he just threw up in his mouth a little when he saw the price tag

IMBA is stronger than ever. The annual IMBA breakfast this morning was standing room only and not just because of the free food and coffee. IMBA Ride Centers are in various stages of development all over the country and we got to see a preview of a documentary about mountain bike trail advocacy in Oregon (the name of which escapes me at the moment). Very exciting times for trail building.

Ok, so maybe I’m the only one who is interested in this but the Redline d660 got a pretty sweet new paint job for 2010. Don’t worry, the d660 still rocks the 1×9 drivetrain and 29er wheels.

Cool pics below, from first to last: element22 burning up the trail at Bootleg Canyon on a Yeti ASR 5, the Outdoor Demo DH shuttle, and the sweet snakeskin-like paint job on the carbon Ellsworth Enlightenment 29er.

Yesterday I got a chance to test out the Ellsworth Rogue. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this bike is a 6-7” travel freeride bike. I won’t lie: it was tons of fun. The test rig was set up with a mix of Saint and SRAM components. Suspension was taken care of with a FOX 40 up front and a DHX4 in the rear.

I decided to take a shuttle up to the top of the hill since, after all, the Rogue is really designed to go down more than up. If you wanted you could pedal to the top – pedaling the Rogue is efficient enough – but with 98 degree temperatures outside I decided to take the easier route. For those who haven’t ridden Bootleg, it is dry dusty terrain with sharp rocky sections. To add to the fun you’re essentially 2 feet from falling off a rather steep slope on most occasions. FUN!

Now this is not a full review but I have to say that the bike did a good job handling the winding, dusty trail. The Rogue felt really great once the trail started to point down and got gnarly. I found that the rear suspension did an excellent job absorbing the rocky terrain of Bootleg and as long as the ground wasn’t too sandy the Rogue did a good job weaving between rocks.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I did tank the bike on an off camber sandy turn (my bad… too fast). But my crash did bring to light an interesting trait that may be of interest to some of you. Basically I found that with the rake of the fork and a bit too much bike lean the front tire feels surprisingly light on the trail. Being unfamiliar with the bike I ended up over-correcting and losing the front of the bike.

Overall the Rogue is a well built bike with fine frame craftsmanship that you really need to see to appreciate. If you have a chance, take a test ride for yourself!

These days mountain bikers like to talk about the 29er revolution but the fact is that even just a few years ago 29ers were generally poorly designed and awkward to ride. Today the Ellsworth Evolve proves that Charles Darwin was right: only the strongest survive – and this is one strong mountain bike!

Climbing with the Evolve was a real treat thanks to the slightly compressed cockpit that puts the rider almost directly above the pedals.  This means better pedaling efficiency plus it places the rider’s center of gravity in a comfortable position for both climbing and descending.  Looking at the Evolve I assumed it would be a bit of a clunker on the climbs compared to my hardtail but it actually climbs like a much lighter bike.

Of course mountain bikers may disagree about the best way to get to the top of a hill but at the end of the day everyone enjoys a good descent. I give the Evolve high marks for handling rocks and washboard trails and it’s super fun on the swoops. This bike just feels solid even on shifting, sketchy terrain and holds its line like a heavy weight when it counts.

With 4″ of rear travel the Evolve is a dependable, versatile mountain bike that should transition well no matter what type of terrain you throw at it. Join the Evolution.

Photo from FirstFlightBikes / Museum of MTB Art & Tech

Just in case you missed out on the government’s cash for clunkers deal, a couple bike shops in Oregon and North Dakota are offering their own version. Joe Bike in Portland is offering up to $200 off a new bike if you trade in a repairable bike or car. At the Bike & Ski Shop in Grand Forks any rideable bike will get you at least 50 bucks off a new set of wheels.

Some bike manufacturers have offered similar trade-in deals in the past. In 2005 Ellsworth offered customers up to $700 off a new Moment mountain bike if they traded in any Ellsworth bike. Cannondale supposedly offered trade-in customers 20-25% off new frames many years ago, though the program wasn’t very well publicized (if at all).

Of course a Klunker (with a K) is actually a treasure in the MTB world. Just this weekend I rode with a guy who was riding an LL Bean mountain bike frame from the late 80s/early 90s that was choice – a real piece of history. If you’ve got one of these antiques, hold on to it – it may just increase in value!

Photo from shiftwatch.blogspot.com.

You know how Corvette owners like to get together with other Corvette owners to fawn over each others’ cars? Or how Harley Davidson riders hang out with other Harley riders? Well, it turns out mountain bikers are starting to do the same thing along brand lines – something that wasn’t really feasible before the internet. Forget freeride and downhill groups – in 2009 it’s Trek Fuel 8 EX and Specialized Stumpjumper FS owner groups.

Here’s a perfect example: Ellsworth is sponsoring the First Annual Pacific Northwest Owners Tour next month outside Bend, OR for – you guessed it – Ellsworth owners. The tour is actually organized by Cog Wild Bicycle Tours (coincidental Harley reference?) and anyone is welcome to attend but Ellsworth owners save $300 off the price of the weekend. Beer, bikes, and bivouacking under the stars – it doesn’t get any better than that!

If you’re a Specialized Epic owner you may have seen proedgebiker’s relentless posts about the Epic owners group he created over on the Facebook. Last I heard there were about 200 members in the group – I don’t know for sure since I can’t even join the group as a non-Epic rider Group members can share photos of their bikes, swap stories and tips, and connect with other “elite” Epic owners.

I haven’t heard of any brand / model owner group rides in my area yet but it certainly wouldn’t be hard to organize. In fact, local bike shops would probably love to help you organize a meet up with other area owners. Gary Fisher owners, for example, could show off the evolution of GF mountain bikes over the years while Trek owners chould showcase the wide range of Trek bikes from hardtails to FS to cyclocross bikes. And just think how cool it would be to see a group of a dozen riders on the same bike whiz by you on the trail!

If you do end up organizing a MTB brand / model rally, send us a shout and some pics – we’ll try to help you spread the word!

Guess my predictions about MTB price trends were a little too conservative – Ellsworth is taking it to the next level! Basically the deal is if you send them your old (functional) bike frame they’ll give you $700 off a new Ellsworth mountain bike (or road bike if you’re so inclined). Details below.

Get Your BAILOUT here! Wondering how YOU can benefit from the Government bailout plan? Let us know when you figure it out. Meanwhile, here’s a bailout you can have some of!

This month, Ellsworth is providing you the opportunity to bail out of your existing bike and get on the road or trail to economic recovery with a new, 100% USA Made Ellsworth MTB or road frame.

We’ll give you $700 bailout money!

Through March 31, 2009 and limited to stock on hand, send us a functional MTB or road frame and we’ll give you $700 towards any new, in stock Ellsworth MTB or road frame. We’ll be “bailing out” kids in need of bikes, so please be sure it is in good working condition.

We’ll bailout underprivileged kids by donating your old bike!

Due to the Paperwork Reduction Act, which Ellsworth supports, to get started here’s all you have to do:

1.	Call us and get a Return Authorization # for the frame you’re bailing out of (760-788-7500)
	OR take it to any Ellsworth Authorized Dealer or your local bike shop and have them call us for the RA#
2.	Clean up and ready the frame to ship, stripped of any components you want to keep.
	OR take it to any Ellsworth Dealer and have them clean and ship it to us!

Riding bikes is something we can all afford to do! It’s recession proof transportation, it’s fitness and recreation, and it clears the head and heart so you can stay focused and productive in difficult times.

The Ellsworth Bailout Plan is a great opportunity to Buy American and improve your own state of well being with cycling and improve the state of well being of those less privileged at the same time (you’ve heard of win/win?). Everyone can get on the trail or road and participate in the American Dream of health, fitness and transportation that is independent of the world economy and energy dependence. Buying American has never made more sense!

If you have any questions, please contact the Ellsworth Sales Office at 760-788-7500.

In some ways this wasn’t really a fair fight: The Titus Racer X is a carbon frame bike, the Ellsworth Truth is aluminum; the Racer X I rode had XTR components while the Titus was SRAM; the Titus fit well and the seat height on the Truth was a little low. But these are both great cross-country bikes and depending on the build they are basically in the same price range making this comparison an interesting exercise at the very least.

Confession: I’m a bit of a weight weenie (I prefer the term gram counter) and it’s one of the big reasons why I still ride a hard tail mountain bike. The Racer X Carbon lives up to its billing as a super light weight bike and I’m pretty sure the thing weighed less than my Trek 7000 hardtail. The bike practically propelled itself up the hills and I found myself blasting past stronger riders with very little effort. The Truth wasn’t a heavy bike either and on washboard sections the slightly higher weight seemed to keep the bike in better contact with the trail.

In terms of geometry both bikes were size large but the Ellsworth felt very small to me – tiny in fact. I was convinced the bike wasn’t a large but the Ellsworth rep assured me it was. The Racer X, on the other hand, fit me like a glove and that’s pretty rare for a 6′ 3″ rider like myself.

Though it’s not always fair to judge a bike based on its components since they can be changed out, I have to mention the XTR shifters on the Titus Racer X Carbon gave me a bit of trouble. The bike made a constant grinding sound through most of the gear range and I found the shifting mechanism to be a bit clunky and confusing. The Ellsworth, on the other hand, performed well and gave a very smooth ride.

Now, for the painful part: pricing. Both of these rides are very high end mountain bikes and their prices reflect that. Of course component group choices dictate price to a large degree but expect to pay up to $5-$6K for a complete bike.

Riding a full suspension mountain bike is a bit of a change for me and I really loved the fact that I didn’t have to be as picky about my lines. If I were to buy a FS cross country rig (and had loads of money) I think I’d have to go with the Titus Racer X Carbon mostly based on the weight savings. Stay tuned for more full suspension bike reviews here and in the MTB Review section of singletracks.