Mountain Bike Australia is raising funds to recover MTB trails from fire damage
The devastation from the wildfires in Australia has been profound. So far, close to 30 human lives, thousands of homes, and countless animals have been lost.
It will take billions of dollars to rebuild what the fires have destroyed, and that includes the mountain bike trails. Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) is running a fundraising campaign to assist affected trails and the clubs in the country, so that volunteers can assess the damage to trails and start repairing the infrastructure.
MTBA is planning to survey clubs to find out the damage that each may need assistance with. Even when fires leave trails intact, the worst damage can come afterward when surrounding foliage that has been burnt up and can’t sop up rainfall, resulting in flooding and erosion.
Find out more about the fundraiser here.
YT Industries updates and standardizes 2020 bikes with new colors
Direct to consumer titan YT Industries is standardizing the color schemes across all of its bikes based on the build package. Now, each bike will be available in Titan Silver, Ghostship Green, Dune Grey, Twotone Blue, and Black Magic, depending on the build.
All bikes are now shipping with either Shimano or SRAM 12-speed drivetrains as well. Check out YT Industries online to see all of the options.
Bombtrack Bicycle Company releases the CALE, an aggressive trail slash bikepacking hardtail
German brand Bombtrack announced a new machine dubbed the CALE, not to be confused with the leafy superfood. The CALE is based on the Bombtrack Beyond+ bike, but modified with a suspension fork.
The CALE has modern geometry for trail bikes, with a long reach and moderate stack height. There are triple cage mounts and the ability to fit a rear rack, so the bike can easily be expanded with extra cargo space.
Bombtrack is outfitting the hardtail with an MRP Ribbon fork, a KS E30i dropper post, WTB Vigilante tires, and a 10-50t cassette, as well as Magura Trail Sport 4-piston brakes and Magura rotors.
Check out the full details on the Bombtrack website.
Boyd Cycling makes the Ridgeline MTB wheelset wider, with Microspline and SuperBoost options
Boutique wheel manufacturer Boyd Cycling out of Greenville, South Carolina updated its carbon Ridgeline mountain bike wheels with some necessary changes for 2020.
The rims now measure 30mm wide internally, wall to wall, up 4mm in width from the previous design. This makes them work better for modern all-mountain tires, from 2.3-2.7 inches wide. The rim features a hookless bead with a 3mm wall thickness, and a 3mm offset spoke layout. The 29er rim weighs a claimed 475g, and the 27.5″ is 440g. A full 29er wheelset weighs a claimed 1,825g and the 27.5″ wheelset weight is 1,755g.
The Ridgeline gets the aluminum Tripel hub, with 3.5° engagement and is now available with a Shimano Micro Spline driver, necessary for the new 12-speed Shimano cassettes. The Ridgeline retails for $1,700 and comes with a lifetime warranty and lifetime crash replacement program.
Team moves
It’s that time of year again where almost nothing is going on except that pro athletes are changing contracts. It’s kind of like the NFL draft, but nobody seems to get that riled up about it, because none of us really grew up watching our dad get up from the couch to yell at the TV because someone riding a Trek beat someone riding a Specialized.
It always lends a bit to curiosity however, because athletes are a large part of how brands shape their images. Anyways, here are the latest athlete rearrangements.
Andreu Lacondeguy is no longer riding YT Industries
After eight years, Andreu Lacondeguy is moving on from YT Industries. Lacondeguy still hasn’t announced his newest sponsor, but it’ll have to be someone fast enough to keep up with him.
Tahnee Seagrave leaves Transition, joins Canyon
Dominant World Cup downhiller Tahnee Seagrave left Pacific Northwest brand Transition after riding the TR11 frame to multiple wins. She has joined Canyon and will be riding the Sender for 2020.
Jared Graves leaves Specialized
Jared Graves 2019 was indefinitely suspended as he underwent cancer treatment. Graves announced that he was officially cancer free in June of 2019, and has been training to get back in the race circuit for the 2020 season.
He won’t be riding for Specialized anymore, however. Graves is leaving Specialized and hasn’t announced what he will be riding for 2020 yet, but there is quite a bit of armchair speculating in the Instagram post above.
Cody Kelley leaves Alchemy
Boutique Colorado brand Alchemy started an EWS team two years ago with Utah rider Cody Kelley when he left Yeti Cycles. Kelley and Anneke Beerten kicked off the brand’s first enduro team, which is ending its short run. Beerten left after about a year and returned to Specialized.
Kelley finished his two-year contract and is onto something new, but hasn’t announced yet. There is plenty of speculation in the comments section of the stylish rider’s social media feed, and interestingly, Fezzari has been ‘liking’ his posts since the news. Fezzari is also based out of the Salt Lake City area, and has a heavy-handed enduro bike, the La Sal Peak. Maybe the two will join forces for 2020? Maybe they won’t.
Damien Oton leaves Devinci, joins Orbea
French enduro rider Damien Oton is leaving Canadian brand Devinci after six years of racing. Oton will be joining Orbea and piloting the Rallon in the EWS for the 2020 season, and hopes to be the first to take the long-legged bike to a World Enduro podium.
Nico Vink leaves Scott, joins Transition
One of the wildest freeriders out there will be taking over Seagraves’ TR11. Well, maybe not the same one, but Nico Vink will be piloting the TR11 through massive air missions.
Hannah Bergemann leaves Kona, also joins Transition
Enduro and freeride extraordinnaire Hannah Bergemann will be joining Nico Vink on the Transition team. Bergemann rode with Kona for four years.
Fabio Wibmer leaves Specialized, joins Canyon
Canyon is adding some serious firepower this season, and nabbing one of the most influential riders out there, Fabio Wibmer.
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