Mountain Bike Action december

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Att’n Retailer: Please displayuntil December 3

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DECEMBER 2009

DO WE REALLY NEED30-SPEED MOUNTAINBIKES?

ARMSTRONGGETS HIS DIRTY REVENGE

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THIS MONTHWhistler throws a week-long party, andyou’re all invited to attend. Page 54.

BIKE TESTS38 Turner Flux

Capable trailbike with an oldschool cross-country feel.

50 Niner R.I.P. 9Big wheels for the trail rider.

72 Rocky Mountain Altitude90 RSLA lot of trail-riding attitude.

86 Specialized P.2Priced and designed to fly.

104 Diamondback ScapegoatOne tough animal to tame.

FEATURE80 Christmas On The

MountainIdeas for the mountain biker onyour list.

CRANKWORXFESTIVAL SPECIAL54 Whistler’s weeklong

CelebrationWorld-class riders crash moun-tain biking’s biggest party.

66 Seen On The StreetPlenty of action off the slopes.

PEOPLE76 Riders Who Inspire

Why our world needs moreCarol Potters.

100 Young RippersIntroducing Alex Prochazka.

TECHNICAL92 Inside The Pros’ Bikes

JHK’s Fisher Superfly 29er.

94 The Garage FilesRighting the Lefty.Gears galore: Ten, 20 or 30 speeds—

take your pick. You have never had somany gearing options. Page 108.

TRAINING & FITNESS42 Switchback Riding Secrets

Master those tight, tricky turns.

COMPETITION114 2009 World

ChampionshipsAmerican women bring home themedals; men bring home a problem.

DEPARTMENTS10 Happy Trails

The year in review.

12 Mac AttackComputers don’t ride bikes.

14 Hard TalesDreamscapes, kids and Lance’sattack.

19 TrailgramsCures for the clipless.

24 Trail MixRiders enjoying riding.

108 Number Crunching YourDrivetrainHow far do you go with one spin ofthe cranks?

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December 2009 / MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION 5

contents

WARNING: Much of the action depicted in this magazine is potentially danger-ous. Virtually all of the riders seen in our photos are experienced experts or pro-fessionals. Do not attempt to duplicate any stunts that are beyond your owncapabilities. Always use discretion and wear the appropriate safety gear.

VOLUME 24, NUMBER 12DECEMBER 2009

ON THE COVERChris Kovarik, an Australian who summers in Whistler, British Columbia, launcheshis Intense 951 right there in his backyard, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Photoby John “That guy is faster than my flash” Ker. The Niner R.I.P. 9 offers a uniquetrail riding experience. Photo by John “Big wheels look better in photos” Ker. The2010 Turner Flux delivers the goods for cross-country racers and trail riders. Photoby John “I want a turn on that Turner” Ker.

MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION Magazine (ISSN 0895-8467 Canada GST 12500#9266RT: CPC INT’L. PUB MAIL40024492) DECEMBER 2009, Volume 24, Issue 12, is published monthly by Daisy/Hi-Torque Publishing Company,Inc., with editorial offices at 25233 Anza Dr., Valencia, CA 91355. Subscriptions $19.98 for 12 issues (one year).Canada add $12 additional postage for one year, $24 for two years. Foreign add $15 additional postage for one year,$30 for two years. Foreign subscriptions are shipped by surface mail and may take up to 15 weeks to receive.Copyright ©2009 by Daisy/Hi-Torque Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing in this magazine may bereprinted in whole or in part, by any means, without the express permission of the publisher. Contributors:Photographs should be submitted in digital form on CD or DVD. Images should be 4 megapixels or higher. High-qual-ity, low-compression JPEG images are preferred. Please limit submissions to no more than 20 photos at one time.Transparencies and prints will no longer be accepted for consideration; such images should be scanned and submit-ted as high-resolution digital files. Captions should accompany all submissions. Make sure the photographer’s name,address, phone number and e-mail address are clearly labeled on each CD or DVD. Submissions will not be returned.Written articles should be submitted on CD (unless other arrangements have been made with the editors), saved as“text” files, and accompanied by a printed version. Written submissions, both on paper and CD, will not be returned.The publisher does not assume responsibility for unsolicited material. PERIODICALS: Postage paid at Santa Clarita,CA 91383, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mountain Bike ActionMagazine, P.O. Box 958, Valencia, CA 91380-9058. Printed in U.S.A. For Canadian returns mail to: BleuchipInternational, P.O. Box 25542 London, ON N6C 6B2.

28 Thrash TestsAn amazing helmet and acamera to put on it.

35 Inside LineBuilding trails and hanging yourbike.

126 Quick ReleasesMBA goes to the movies.

130 Down The TrailThe first step to stunt riding.

Re-ride your ride: This handy little videocamera captures all the hills, spills andthrills of your ride. Page 28.

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

JIM McILVAIN • EDITOR

RICHARD CUNNINGHAM • EDITOR-AT-LARGE

JODY WEISEL • FEATURE EDITORSZAPATA ESPINOZA

SEAN McCOY • MANAGING EDITOR

JOHN KER • ASSISTANT EDITORSRYAN CLEEK

KATHARINE McCOY

JEFF SPENCER • TRAINING CONSULTANT

JOHN TOMAC • CONSULTANTSMIKE BELL

JOHN PERRY

BRAD ROE • ONLINE [email protected] [email protected]

ART DEPARTMENT

EDUARDO GUTIERREZ • DESIGNER

ALMA MARTíNEZ de DICSö • ASSISTANT DESIGNERSJACKIE CLEVELAND

CASSANDRA MITTELBERG • COPY EDITORLINDSAY WORDEN

PAT CARRIGAN • PHOTO ARTIST

WILLIAM C. HAWLEY IV • PRELIM COORDINATOR

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

ROBERT REX • NATIONALADVERTISING DIRECTOR

ROBB MESECHER • ADVERTISING MANAGER

DERRECK BERNARD • ACCOUNT EXECUTIVESJEROME DZIECHIASZ

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ROLAND HINZ • PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

LILA HINZ • ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

CASSANDRA MITTELBERG • ASSISTANTS TO PRESIDENTKATHARINE McCOY

TOM HINZ

JEFF SHOOP • CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

TIM LaPAGLIA • PROMOTIONS

ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL OFFICES25233 Anza Dr.

Valencia, CA 91355(661) 295-1910

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ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE IN TAIWANWHEEL GIANT INCORPORATED

P.O. Box 80, Changhua, Taiwan R.O.C.Tel (047) 352555, 350500

Telex: 58312 WGI Fax: 886-47-357860

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Any change of address or subscriptionproblems please contact us by e-mail:

[email protected] or call (800) 767-0345.

DRCV™

Remedy 9.9Mountain Tamer, Trail Blazer.

ABP RACE™ OCLV CARBON ARMOR™

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The good fight. cannondale.com

BATTLE PROVEN.The HollowGram SI Crankset. The lightest, stiffest crankset on the planet.

Standard on the Cannondale Factory Racing Team Scalpel.

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Speaking about racing, the KendaCup series delivered as promised: afull schedule of cross-country racing,with separate East and West venuesand thousands of competitors whowill happily return next year to raceagain. We can thank Scott Tedro, TyKady, the folks at Sho-Air, Kenda andSpecialized for manning up to thetask of rebuilding the national moun-tain bike series that its caretaker,USA Cycling, had left in shambles.We can also thank the Kenda Cup forsupporting the US Pro series, whichwas piggybacked upon key KendaCup venues. If there can be a down-side to its success, the cross-countryKenda Cup left downhillers allpadded up with no place to go, won-dering why USA Cycling hasn’t takenthem seriously.

Racing devotees all preach that thiscountry’s next star will arrive from ayouth program, but during the week,they can all be found sipping beerwith professionals. All except MattFritzinger, whose NorCal HighSchool League was franchised in thesouthern half of California. TheNorCal League is simply ripping it upat the races and, while SoCal has alot of catching up to do, they passedmuster in their first season, and theirteams are rapidly gaining strengthand numbers. California didn’tinvent the concept; high school rac-ing leagues have been flourishing inBritish Columbia for a decade ormore.

Technology did not leap very farthis year. Wheel travel for the basictrailbike settled in at five-inches-plus;a big I-told-you-so for the Pivot Mach5, Turner 5 Spot and Santa CruzBlur LT, which continue to lead thetrend while industry giants Trek andSpecialized play travel tennis tryingto find a permanent place betweenthe four- and six-inch marks. For

D ecember already? I was talking about the 24 Hours in the OldPueblo today as if February were last month—which got me think-ing about the year’s highlights. It was great that Lance Armstrong

returned to trounce Dave Wiens at the Leadville 100. Armstrong had noth-ing to gain from crushing a field of hopefuls and has-beens, but there washonor on the line, and the King-of-the-Tour demonstrated that he under-stands exactly what that word means. Lance showed up early and rodeside-by-side with fellow racers, who were treated to the human side of themost venerated and feared athlete in cycling today. For a week in Colorado,Lance was a mountain biker: one man, self-supported, happy to be ridingon fat tires, with nature as his greatest rival and 100 miles of open countryahead of him. His victory added some shine to the legacy of Leadville andleft the vanquished with a story they will tell their grandchildren. Lancehas an open invitation to any mountain bike race in this country.

2009, the Fuel EX and Stumpjumperwere tied at 4.7 inches.

Gary Fisher Bicycles scored twohuge victories for the 29er with twowins in the U.S. NationalChampionship Cross-Country series(men’s and women’s)—a first forboth classes (Katie Compton won theNational Short Track on a 29er with700C tubulars last year).Specialized’s Ned Overend has beenriding a 29er, and one vote from Nedis worth more than five votes fromany major bike brand.

Almost every top cross-country proand two-thirds of the bike-parkcrowd have been riding dual-chain-ring cranksets—a trend largelyignored by the bike industry at largeuntil SRAM launched XX. SRAM’sstunning and well-engineered 2x10drivetrain won’t begin to fill the vac-uum in the marketplace, even if it isreadily accepted by major bikebrands. Reportedly, Shimano isreadying its own version of 2x10—which should be called XTR-Duh,because no parts maker is more close-ly attached to professional cross-country racing.

While the majority shareholders ofthe sport sort out 2x10, what we real-ly need is a wide-ratio, nine-speedcassette so that the millions of uswho purchased bikes with triple-chainring, nine-speed shifting sys-tems can enjoy two-chainring shift-ing bliss without spending thousandsof dollars on an incompatible ten-speed drivetrain or having to pony upfor a new bike.

Great news came from Seattle,Washington, with the opening of theI-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Park, ariding and skills park under an ele-vated stretch of the Interstate 5 free-way. With so much pressure formountain bike riding opportunitiesnear major population centers,

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HAPPY TRAILS By Richard J. Cunningham

Seattle’s success points urban parkplanners towards an untappedresource: thousands of acres of uglyopen space beneath freeway inter-changes and between public worksprojects that could be reclaimed andbeautified for recreational cycling.New York City successfully convertedan abandoned park into a showcaseskills park for mountain bikes, and itnow hosts regular races. If it can hap-pen in New York City, it can happenanywhere.

Every year that passes carries a mes-sage for its successor. While I cannotforetell the future, it seems clear thatthis year tells us that there are goodthings ahead for our sport, but theymay not come from obvious sources.The next world champion may be afreckle-faced high school kid who justsix weeks ago couldn’t tell a derailleurfrom a DVD. The best shifting trans-mission you have ever ridden could bethe one you already own, minus ninegears—and your first wall-ride on that2x9 bike may be 50 feet below yourmorning commute. If you own aLivestrong rubber band, be sure towear it when you show up for that 24-hour solo race, because the man wholines up next to you might be thechairman of the board. ❑

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THE MAC ATTACK By Jim McIlvain

12 www.mbaction.com

The wrecking crew recently testedan expensive, lightweight, dual-sus-pension, cross-country race bike.While on the bike, two of our testriders noted a brief sensation ofdrivetrain resistance during the rearsuspension’s travel. It was onlydetected at a particular part of thebike’s travel, and that was explainedin the review. Our write-up nevertried to explain the cause of this sen-sation, because, quite frankly, wedidn’t know why the bike reactedthe way it did. But we felt (and stilldo) that our ride feedback wasimportant to any rider consideringpurchasing the bike.

The bike company was furious.They supplied computer-generatedcharts and graphs to prove that wecould not have felt what we did.They claimed our riders were wrongand demanded a retraction.

Forgive me if I’ve told you thisstory before, but it applies to this sit-uation perfectly. Gary Nixon had anamazing career as a professionalmotorcycle racer, both on road racecircuits and America’s dirt ovals.One time, Gary was at a road coursetest session with his then-sponsor,Kawasaki Motorcycles. His job wasto flail the bike around the coursefor a few laps and then pit so thatthe technicians and engineers coulddownload the data captured by on-the-bike sensors.

During one of these pitstops, Gary explained what hewas feeling at a certain part ofthe course and, to his amaze-ment, one of the techs told himhe was wrong. The three-timeAMA Grand National Championcouldn’t believe his ears. He againarticulated exactly what he felt outthere on the course, and the techagain told him he couldn’t have feltwhat he said he was feeling.Astounded, Gary tried one moretime to explain what the motorcyclewas doing. The stubborn tech spunhis computer around, showed Gary ascreen with a bunch of wavy linesand explained that those lines provedGary was wrong. Bet you can guesswhat happened next.

“Well then, you need to let yourcomputer race that motorcycle,”

Gary said calmly as he walked awayfrom the pit area and headed home.

To this day, the race tech probablythinks that Gary’s reaction was thatof an arrogant racer, but the techni-cian was absolutely wrong. Nothingtrumps an experienced rider’s in-the-saddle evaluation of a motorcycle ormountain bike. Nothing.

As another example, we received aquestion from a rider who com-plained of drivetrain resistance whenreducing his fork’s travel. We threwthe problem at one of the brightestminds working with bicycle suspen-sion, Dave Weagle, of the famed dw-link. Dave tried but couldn’t comeup with a mathematical explanationfor what the rider was feeling (muchlike scientists who could not, untilvery recently, prove that a bee couldfly). More riders contacted usexplaining that they, too, had felt thesame sensation. You could show eachof these riders reams of charts toprove that what they felt couldn’thappen, but I’ll bet that down to thelast rider, not one of them would be

swayed. Once you feel it, no computeris going to change your mind.

This is not to say that data acquisi-tion and quantifiable research don’thave their place. It would be hard totrust a product that hadn’t been sub-jected to rigorous laboratory testing.Still, at the end of the day, it would beharder to trust a product that hadn’tseen a lot of real-world abuse.

Mountain Bike Action will continueto test bikes the way we have alwaystested them. We swap them betweenthe crew, plant our butts in the saddleand ride the wheels off them. We don’thook them up to computers or studyspreadsheets. What matters to you,and us, is what happens on the trail. ❑

Jimmy Mac does use a computer forcommunication, so you can e-mail himat [email protected].

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HARD TALES

BreakingRuleNumberOne

There is an unwritten rule thatmountain biking photos have to have arider in the shot. Peruse the pages ofany Mountain Bike Action and you’llfind we stick by that rule. Except fortoday. Today is break-the-rider-ruleday, because while there are no ridersin these photos, try to look at themwithout getting the uncontrollable urgeto throw on your hydration pack andhit the trail.

14 www.mbaction.com

IMAGES


Lance, OneYear Later

EVENTS

The out-of-retirement, back-with-a-vengeance Lance Armstronghad just finished some race in France when he followed up with atrip to Leadville, Colorado, to race the Leadville 100. Lance hadraced the event last year after announcing he was bored with hang-ing out on the beach in Santa Barbara with his old friend DaveLettieri. He finished second that year and promised to be back toimprove on his time.

Promise kept. Lance finished the 100-mile endurance event insix hours, 28 minutes and 50 seconds to beat six-time event win-ner Dave Wiens by 28 minutes and over 1400 other riders by amuch wider margin.

Early morning rain: The lead group early in the event included DaveWiens (1), Lance (hidden behind Dave), Manny Prado (3) and TinkerJuarez (1510). That isn’t dew on the trees. Racers faced a cold rain

to start off the suffer fest.

No reason for disappointment: It would be the highlight ofmost professional racers’ careers to finish in the top three atthe Leadville 100. Dave Wiens probably felt he let down hisfans with a second place. Not true. Dave’s ride was an amaz-ing achievement and ranks right up there with all the times hewon the event.

Eastbound andDown: He’sloaded up andtruckin’, he’sgonna do whatthey say can’t bedone. Mountainbike pros are pray-ing that Lancestays busy with hisroad racing careerand new TeamRadioShack so heleaves them alone.

Photos by Rob O’Dea

HARD TALES

16 www.mbaction.com

One Contest,Two Winners

WINNERS

Remember the “Send Your Girlfriend to Camp” contestwe told you about in our July 2009 issue? Well, we havea winner, and her name is Erica Tonner, but that’s nottotally accurate. While Erica got to attend a Dirt Seriesby Rocky Mountain Bicycles Skills Camp and received a

2010 Fox Racing Shox 32 TALAS RLC 15QR fork and atwo-year subscription to MBA, the true contest winner isChris Burk.

You see, Chris is Erica’s boyfriend, and to win all thatgreat stuff for her, he had to write a short essay on whyshe deserved to win. The talented scribe waxed poeticallyto beat out hundreds of entries (you can see his winningessay at www.dirtseries.com).

“What an awesome time I had while at the bike camp,”says Erica. “I am sure I have improved exponentially. Lastweekend, Chris and I went riding and he said it was nightand day. I feel like I’m in control while riding my lineinstead of just being jostled around by our lovely NorthShore trails.”

Congratulations to Erica and Chris. Nice work—andChris, you are one lucky guy.

Erica Tonner: She gets the swag, but it was her boyfriend whowon the contest.

New skills: Erica shows off her new-found skills after winning a Dirt Seriesby Rocky Mountain weekend camp.

Rat’s NestIn Your Tire

WEIRD

Ever wonder what NoTubes tire sealant lookslike after a hot summer of riding? Kind of likefinding a rat’s nest inside your tire.

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HARD TALES

18 www.mbaction.com

BIKES

Cannondale ShowsMore 2010 Models

Don’t worry. We will organize all the 2010 bike offerings intoan easy-to-follow, easier-to-compare buyer’s guide. But, whenbreaking news on 2010 models becomes available, we just can’twait for the buyer’s guide to show you. Here are a few more2010 models from Cannondale.

Cannondale Moto Carbon 2, $5299: Cannondale is droppingtheir downhill bikes (the Judge and the Perp) for 2010, so the 6.3-inch-travel Moto platform is their most gravity-oriented bike, but itis still within the realm of trailbikes that can climb reasonably well.There will be two carbon models and three aluminum-framedmodels, the least expensive coming in at an attractive $2649price point. There will also be a women’s version.

Cannondale RZ One Forty: This 5.5-inch-travel trailbike will come infive models (one with a Truvativ HammerSchmidt crankset), two incarbon and the rest in aluminum. Prices will range from $1919 to$6199. This is Cannondale’s all-purpose platform designed to climbwith cross-country bikes while still bringing a smile to your face on thedescents. They have worked to dial the shock and linkage to deliversmall-bump compliance, no-harsh mid-stroke and plenty of bottom-out cushion.

Cannondale RZ One Twenty: You’ll get four models (from$1919 to $3849) to choose from, and don’t think of this as an RZOne Forty with an inch less travel. This 4.7-inch-travel trailbikehas a different personality. It is for the rider who doesn’t want thepunishment of a cross-country race bike, but doesn’t need thetravel of a trailbike made for gnarly singletrack.

Trail BlazersYou’ve read it in the mainstream media.

Kids today are lethargic, Game Boy-addicted,sedentary, overweight little dumplings. Well,some kids just won’t listen. Instead of sittingon the couch, these rascals choose to sit on a

Mitchell Dutczak—Under-14 Class.Katherine Roberson—Under-10 Class.

KIDS

Mary Allen (901) and Courtney Comer—Under-10 Class.

saddle. Meet a few of the deserving youngracers who turned out at the NationalMountain Bike Championships at the SolVistaresort in Granby, Colorado.

NOT AS IT APPEARSEducating the mountain biking community that skidding is not required

for an enjoyable day on the trails is an uphill battle. I’ve been verbally abusedand threatened with physical violence for politely asking mountain bikers notto skid on multi-user public trails. I began talking to riders after readingabout the issue in your magazine. I was thus dismayed to see the picture of abiker bombing down a multi-user trail and kicking up a big roost in yourSeptember article about Flagstaff. Flagstaff is indeed a great place to ride. I’dlike to keep it that way and keep the trails open for us. Your picture contra-dicts your previous position on this topic. I hope that position hasn’t changed.

Brad AndrewsGrand Canyon Village, ArizonaThat photo was shot on a designated downhill trail, not a multi-user trail, and

the roost you see was not caused by braking, but due to Flagstaff’s dry and dustyconditions. Flagstaff deserves credit for making such a challenging downhill runavailable to gravity riders while offering plenty of multi-user trails for everyoneelse. Of course, we are with you as far as skidding goes. Locking wheels equals los-ing control, and that is never fun.


NO MORE ENDOSYour August “Garage Files” on Avid Elixir

brakes helped me so much, and I don’t evenhave those brakes. I’m an extreme novicerider and have had problems locking my frontbrake and going over the bars. The articletalked about adjusting the lever throw closerto the grip for better modulation. I did whatthe article said to do and had my best rideever today. I had soooooo much better controlof the bike. Thank you, thank you, and thankyou!

Ray FradyRittman, Ohio

Write us at [email protected] orhard copy us at MBA Trailgrams, 25233Anza Drive, Valencia, Ca. 91355.Trailgrams tip of the month: Have afender ready to go in case conditions getsloppy. Already have the star-fangled nutpressed into the bottom of your steerer soyou can bolt the fender on and go. Take itoff when the conditions dry out. Fendersare silly in the dry.

TRAILGRAMS

BETTER THAN FACEBOOKIt was 1981. The mountain bike was

in its infancy, and I was riding aMotobecane Super Mirage back andforth to high school. Punk rock was inits heyday, and I was at the HollywoodPalace to see The Professionals. As Ilooked around the crowd, one girlcaught my eye. When I smiled at her,she smiled back. What a smile! Wehung out at the show, and I managedto alienate her with my psychoticteenage antics.

Fast-forward 28 years. I’m now asuccessful bike bum in the summerand a ski instructor in the winter. Aspart of being a bike bum, I volunteer atthe Fire Cracker 50. This year, we allgot the June issue of Mountain BikeAction in the swag bag. There, on page28, I saw that smile! A smile I hadn’tseen in almost 30 years. After I readher comment, there it was, Cher Vella,Long Beach, California! Seeing Cheron her bike, knowing that she’s part ofthe tribe, made me feel connected insome weird way after all these years. Iguess that’s the power of two wheels.

Jim “Jaime” JimenezAlma, Colorado (10,578 feet)

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESSI have a carbon dually that is very light and sports five inches of travel

front and rear. This bike has frustrated me for the last year, as I have neverbeen comfortable with the handling. It either over- or understeered and,frankly, was a little like a high-maintenance girlfriend I used to date; what-ever I did just wasn’t quite right. Then, I dropped my upper body by aboutthree inches while riding. Now, the bike goes where I want it to go. Thismay be old news to y’all, but it was such a relief, as I so wanted to love thisbike. Now I don’t just put it back in the shed when I get home; I adjust, lubeand shine it up so it is ready for our next ride.

Edsel FalconerFrom waaaaay Down UnderCheck out more long-travel trailbike riding tips in our November 2009 issue. If

you don’t have a copy, call (800) 767-0345 or visit www.mbaction.com.

MBA,September, 2009

20 www.mbaction.com

TRAILGRAMS

DON’T GIVE UPBill Marcy is most likely riding with

single-release cleats. He needs Shimano’smulti-release cleats. When I first started,I kept falling with my feet still attached.Since switching to multi-release cleats, Ihave never had a problem with the footpulling out accidentally or not being ableto get it out when needed. I have beenusing them for almost ten years nowand have always ridden SPD pedals. Ieven got my wife using clipless withthem, and that was quite a feat. I wouldalso add that clipless pedals have amarked advantage for control of the bikewhen going downhill. It is actually themost noticeable benefit for me. I love thefeel of my feet being attached to the bike.It gives me more confidence. I hope thatthis information will be helpful to Billand maybe some other readers, andeveryone can enjoy their ride just a littlemore.

Stephen ShelleySan Antonio, Texas

MULTI OPTIONSI used toe-clip pedals for the same rea-

son Bill Marcy outlined, much to theamusement of my friends. I tried cliplesspedals and had issues getting in and outof them. Determined to get betterresults, I made an important discovery.Shimano makes two kinds of cleats: theSH-51, which is the “default” cleatshipped with pedals, and the SH-56,which is sold separately. The 51s are lat-eral release, while the 56s are multi-angle release. I learned that my instinctsare not to rotate my foot in the directionthat the 51s need to disengage, which is

parallel to the pedal. Rather, when facedwith an emergency, I roll my ankle,which leaves me firmly clipped into thebike with the 51s but allows me to getright out with the 56s.

As an experiment, I put one of eachtype on my shoes. The left was a 51 andthe right was a 56. After adding twoturns of tension to the 56 pedal, neces-sary to keep from inadvertently unclip-ping with that design of cleat, I went rid-ing. It was a perfect demo. I had twoemergency stops that day, one to eachside. The stop to the 56 side went great.The stop to the 51 side ended up in apainful topple, with me still connected tothe bike.

Since then, I’ve done several rideswith 56 cleats on both shoes, and theresults are the best I’ve ever had withclipless. I would recommend that Mr.Marcy try a set of the 56 cleats and see ifthey help him before he abandons them.

Christopher BerchinDearborn, Michigan

UNEXPECTED CONVERTBill, I feel your pain. I am a dedicated

clipless pedalhead, and have been for thepast 15 years. Through my own stub-bornness, I have valiantly refused to ridewithout them, no matter what the ter-rain or technical level. I usually cameout unscathed. Usually, but not always.So, it came with a dose of surprise tofind that I now am an advocate of plat-forms, in the right conditions.

My revelation came while camping inJasper, Alberta, Canada. The weatherwas supposed to be the usual May sendup, some sun with a good chance of rain

or snow. Not figuring on doing any realriding, I only brought the old clunkercomplete with child seat and no ridingshorts, armor or shoes. The weatherturned out to be beautiful, so I managedto sneak away for a 20-mile ride. I got alot of strange looks from people watch-ing me ride down very difficult rockytrails wearing hiking boots with a childseat attached, but I didn’t care. I thoughtI wouldn’t enjoy the ride without the cli-pless pedals, and I was wrong. Theassurance of no clips through the rockysections made me focus on the fun morethan the potential fall. It was like beingon the trail 14 years ago—no high-techgear and no worries, just riding to theedge of your abilities with your bike.

I have since returned to the moun-tains with my dual-suspension ride, andI swapped out for the platforms beforeleaving. Like I said, clipless pedals havetheir place. The trick is learning whichplaces are better off ridden withoutthem.

Steve DikaEdmonton, Alberta, Canada

GO FOR THE FROGSThe answer to pedal clip-out problems

is Speedplay Frog pedals. There are nosprings to fight against, and the cleat canbe rotated in the shoe to suit each rider.In 14 years, I’ve never had an unwantedrelease, nor has my sub-conscious failedto release my feet on a tumble. I have myright and left cleats adjusted differentlybecause, well, who has both feet thesame anyway?

Ron WoodwardToronto, Ontario ❑

A letter from Bill Marcy in our September issue explained that he fell over alot due to his clipless pedals. We told him to switch to platform pedals andlet the bruises heal. A lot of riders wrote in on the subject.

adstemplate.indd 4 8/14/09 10:54:56 AM

BRAKES by AVID

ELIXIR CR MAG(NEW)

ADS_1.indd 62 9/22/09 9:48:33 AM

©2009 SRAM LLC

ELIXIR FOR ALLWhat started last year with two models has grown to four, and now all riders from fi rst-timers to the most demanding pros have an Elixir that’s perfect for their ride. Fact is, everyone’s ride benefi ts from more control, more power and greater comfort – and that’s what Elixir’s TaperBore Technology is all about. Now, with the addition of the Elixir 5 and the CR Mag, you can choose from a wider range of tasty features to fi t your needs.There’s a new sheriff in brake town, and its name is Elixir.

avidbike.com

Clean Sweep Rotors140 (rear only) /160/185/203 mm G3 Six Bolt NEW 160/185 mm Center Lock Rotors (LockRing not included)

ELIXIR CR

ELIXIR R(updated)

ELIXIR 5(NEW)

ADS_1.indd 63 9/22/09 9:49:14 AM

24 www.mbaction.com

TRAIL MIX

QUALITY FAMILY TIME

CITY BIKING

Former World Cup Downhill ChampionJurgen Beneke (1) defended his title as the all-mountain king of New York City with his repeatwin at the second-annual NYCMTB HighbridgePark Hustle + Flow All-Mountain Race. Theevent is a unique all-mountain race made up offive distinct legs (cross-country, pump track,downhill, road climb and Super-D) with classesfor solo racers and teams (one racer for each legraced as a team relay).

Jamie BognerPresident/Co-Founder/Race DirectorNew York City Mountain Bike Association

My daughter, Katie (age 15), and myself after finishing a four-day

White Rim ride in Canyonlands National Park outside of Moab,

Utah. We had just climbed the Shafer switchbacks (1200 vertical in

a couple of miles) and ran into several desert bighorn sheep.

Steven HeilGrand Junction, Colorado

RIDING F.A.T.S.We got a group of nine friends from four states tomeet up at F.A.T.S. (Forks Area Trail System) inSouth Carolina for three days of riding. I neverlaughed so much. What a great place this is. This isall of us before we hit the Brown Wave. This is amust-ride destination!Greg NeelAshburn, Virginia

Phot

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OCEAN TO DESERT

BAER IN THE WOODS

The Rumblefest event in Port Alice, BritishColumbia, was my first race at 61 years old.The course went up from sea level to 1000feet in about 2.5 miles. This is the end of thesecond lap, and I was glad to have perse-vered. There was one person still on thecourse when I came in, so I was not last!

Richard BaerVictoria, British Columbia, Canada

Some homies from Oceanside and Carlsbad,California, left their beach to come ride in Utah,including Thunder Mountain, Navajo Lake and BrianHead. Yes, they had a blast.

Kevin TalbotHurricane, Utah


TRAIL MIX

26 www.mbaction.com

REAL RECYCLING

SANDY TRAIL

FUTURE CHAMPS

Flims, Switzerland, at 7000 feet, before starting afive-hour epic. The landscape looks like something fromLord of the Rings. Stunning. By the way, the bike is oneof 15 other bikes made by myself from different brokenframes. This one contains parts from four ex-bikes.

Sergio BeresovskyMilan, Italy

My stepsons, Robbie and Ryan, and theirbuddies, Ryan and Dale, taking a well-deserved rest at the top of the saddle lead-ing into the Sycamore Canyon Valley.

Todd GalarneauSan Diego, California

LOG RIDE

My Trek and I on theMcKenzie River Trail inOregon, going to Blue Pool.

Kelly WarneJunction City, Oregon

Me and my old JBC Pro Scandium onthe long, dense beach sands at LegianBeach in Bali, Indonesia.

Hendro PoernomoRempoa, Banten, Indonesia

BECOME ALMOST FAMOUSWe want to make you a star. Here’s how:1) Image file size needs to be 600 KB or

larger.2) Tell us what is going on in your photo

(include names).3) Include your name and the city and

state where you live.4) E-mail it to Trail Mix

([email protected]).Trail Mix rider of the month: Pua Sawiki ❑

ADS_1.indd 30 9/16/09 2:50:19 PM

28 www.mbaction.com

THRASH TESTS

We try to focus our “Thrash Tests”on hard parts, but after we spent a fewrides in the $65 Race Face long-sleeveCanuck Jersey, we knew we had to tellyou about it.

Saddles are the most personal choiceof any mountain bike component. The$179.98 Selle An-Atomica LD Saddleappears to have DNA from England’svenerable Brooks Saddle, but the rideproved something different.Tech features: The Titanico LD

saddle uses a leather upper that is riv-eted to the steel seat rails and base. Asmall hole in the nose of the saddleallows for an Allen wrench to beinserted to adjust the firmness of the

Tech features: Race Face is bestknown for their hardware, but theirexpanding apparel line is loaded withunique products. The Canuck Jersey isone of them. It is made from QuickWick, a proprietary fabric that is 46percent Cool Dry yarn and 54 percentpolyester yarn without chemical treat-ment. The sides and underarm panelsare poly-mesh. They use flat-lockstitching to hold it all together. Thejersey is available in a long- or $60short-sleeve version in three color com-bos and sizes from S-XXL. You canreach Race Face at (604) 527-9996.After the thrashing: We rode in

the long-sleeve version and loved itfrom the first moment we slipped it on.The jersey offers a loose and comfort-able fit. The material feels thick anddurable without ever feeling hot orheavy. It does a great job wicking mois-ture, and the poly-mesh sides breatheto keep you comfortable. While there

are no rear pockets, we found a hiddenside pocket designed to stash an iPod.Finally, on top of feeling great, it looksgreat. We never took a ride withoutsomeone complimenting the jersey’sstyle or print design. This jersey turnsa lot of heads (in a good way) andmakes you look good. Add this to yourChristmas gift list. You won’t be sorry.

saddle upper. Although this is a uniquefeature, the showstopper is a 7.5-inchchannel cut into the center of the sad-dle (with rounded ends to prevent rip-ping). Our saddle weighed one pound,one ounce. You can reach Selle An-Atomica at (707) 372-6540.After the thrashing: The Titanico

LD saddle is delivered with the mostcomplete mounting instructions of anysaddle we have ever purchased. Whilemost of the instructions are targetedtowards road riders, you will find themhelpful (if not a little overwhelming)for fitting and adjusting the saddle toyour mountain bike. The saddle looksso goofy that we were not ready forwhat we experienced. The Titanico LDsaddle is a very comfortable and com-pliant saddle, especially when you arepositioned in the center and spinningaway. The rear of the saddle offers agood platform to work from withoutfeeling too wide. The nose is too shortand lacks the width necessary for on-the-nose uphill struggles. We didn’t

Thrash test rating:★★★★★ Perfection★★★★✩ Delivers above average value and performance★★★✩✩ Recommended for intended application★★✩✩✩ Shows potential but has drawbacks★✩✩✩✩ Save your hard-earned bucks

RACE FACE CANUCK JERSEY

Style and function combined★★★★✩

SELLE AN-ATOMICA TITANICO LD SADDLE★★★✩✩Back to the future

remove a star, though, because thissaddle could be just the thing for riderswho suffer from saddle discomfort ornumbness. It looks like a throwback tothe past, but delivers modern-dayresults.

Niner S.I.R. 9 >> Single or Geared, Reynolds 853 tubeset. Get the details: www.thebigrevolution.com

ADS_1.indd 14 9/16/09 9:06:41 AM

30 www.mbaction.com

THRASH TESTS

The days are getting shorter, so ifyou still want to get your rides in dur-ing the week, a lighting system like the$420 Tesla 4 is your best bet.Tech features: The Tesla 4 comes

with a Tesla 700 headlight that pro-duces a claimed 700 lumens. TheLupine Hexagon Reflector is tooled on

a CNC-machine that Lupine feelsallows for greater precision of beamcontrol. The light is housed in a CNC-machined, shot-peened aluminumbody. Our light weighed 3.5 ounces,and the battery weighed eight ounces.The kit comes with handlebar and hel-met mounting options and a charger.You can reach Lupine at (877) 285-4422.After the thrashing: We mounted

the light on the bike and later on the

helmet without needing to follow com-plicated step-by-step directions. If youdo read the instructions, and youshould, Lupine makes them easy to fol-low. All the wiring and connectors arewell-designed and insulated.Inadvertent disconnection of thewiring is unlikely. The mounting sys-tems worked great and held the lightsteady during rough times. The batterycharged quickly, and we experiencedover two hours of burn time with thelight on its full brightness. The lightputs off a good amount of heat, whichwill shorten the bulb’s life if you standaround letting it burn. If you use itwhile in motion, the air-cooling shouldbe adequate to prolong bulb life. Alpinesells all the parts separately, so we’drecommend getting the kit and thenpurchasing another light and battery soyou can run lights on your helmet andbike at the same time. If you are newto night riding, this is a plug-and-playsystem that you’ll find easy to use andready to go.

LUPINE TESLA 4HEADLIGHT SYSTEM

Burning through the dark★★★✩✩

Crumpler describes their $95 Bumper Issue hydration pack as wonder-ful for “hiking, biking, boarding and festival going.” Trying to cover allthose bases in an era of specialization is a tough goal.Tech features: The Bumper Issue makes a fun impression with its

brightly colored, water-resistant 600D shell. Inside are a 150-denierripstop lining and three main pockets. Side clips can be released toincrease the capacity of the two largest pockets, offering enough spaceto stow everything you need for an overnight, short of a tent. Thereservoir holds 70 ounces of fluid and has a wide slide opening and adetachable hose and bite valve (with a removable cover). You canreach Crumpler at (888) 384-3020.After the thrashing: The reservoir is easy to fill and easier to

clean, thanks to the large opening. The bite valve didn’t leak andflowed water well. The “cow-dropping protector” was somewhat both-ersome to remove and replace. The pack itself is too thick. While itmight work great for hiking, boarding and festivals, it is overkill formountain biking, where less is more, especially if you are carrying iton your back. The pockets are not as intuitive to access as on somepopular mountain-biking-specific packs, and there are not enough ofthem for organizing the small stuff.

CRUMPLER BUMPER ISSUEHYDRATION PACK

Covering too many bases★★✩✩✩

BBGEL MOCO

HFACTOR TELONIX

KING OFTRACTION

BLUE GROOVE john TOMAC

signature series

HAPPY MEDIUMEXCAVATOR

C2CDRED TREAD

brian LOPES signature series

ADS_1.indd 16 9/16/09 9:17:01 AM

32 www.mbaction.com

THRASH TESTS

How good can a $15 mountain biketire be? CST asks that you don’t judgetheir tires by the price. Judge them bythe ride. We did.Tech features: The CST Camber

tire comes in 26-by-2.1 or 26-by-2.25sizes in either a folding bead or wirebead version. We went for the fatter ofthe two in the wire bead. One tireweighed one pound, eight ounces. Thesecond tire was an ounce more. At thisprice, manufacturing tolerances are not

as tight as with, say, a $65 tire. You canreach CST at (678) 407-6770.After the thrashing: Each Camber

tire is marked with a suggested mount-ing direction, depending on whichwheel it is used on. Follow CST’srecommendation. The Camber took toour hardpack trail surfaces like a duckto water. Everyone was impressed withthis fast-rolling tire that did an ade-quate job in the corners. We never suf-fered a pinch flat or a puncture. TheCamber can’t hang with expensive tiresthat use multiple durometer rubber(among other tricks), but come onalready, you could buy four of thesetires for one of those expensive guys. If

CST CAMBER TIRE

Don’t break the bank★★★✩✩

The Helmet Hero from GoPro is the world’s smallest wire-less, helmet- and gear-mountable video camera for outdoorsports. The Helmet Hero Wide kit sells for $189.Tech features: The GoPro attaches via a quick-release to

both vented and non-vented helmets, bikes, kayaks, skis andsnowboards. It even includes a head strap for wearing it like aheadlamp. The Hero has a 170-degree-angle lens and a five-megapixel sensor for an immersive point of view. It is capableof shooting 56 minutes of high-resolution video and photosevery two seconds. The Hero is shockproof and waterproof to100 feet in depth.

This second-generation Hero Wide has improved, with anentirely new cir-cuit design towithstand ultra-high-vibrationenvironments.The battery life isgood for threehours of videorecording whenusing lithium bat-teries and two

GOPRO HELMET HERO WIDE

Recording your ride made simple★★★★★

hours with NiMH rechargeablebatteries.

The Hero Helmet Widekit includes a five

megapixel Hero Widecamera with 170-degree wide-anglelens, a shock-proof/waterproof

quick-release housing,one headlamp-style head

strap, one vented helmetstrap, two curved 3M adhesive mounts, two flat

3M adhesive mounts, one three-way pivoting side arm assem-bly, two quick-release buckles, one USB/RCA combo cable, anda one-year warranty. Additional expansion mounts are avail-able separately, including handlebar/seatpost, chest harness,roll bar, and surfboard mounts.

The GoPro Helmet Hero Wide works with a 2GB SD card.GoPro claims the camera will be compatible with a 4GB SDcard, allowing for one hour and 52 minutes of continuousvideo recording, once it releases a free software upgrade.

GoPro, (415) 738-2480.After the thrashing: We’ve experimented with a variety of

on-board digital video cameras, and without fail, after one ortwo uses we were fed up with the hassle of external back-packs, tangled wires, and guesswork-filled mounting positions.The GoPro Helmet Hero is by far the easiest to use videocamera we’ve ever tested, and it shoots quality video footage.With the camera mounted, you can choose to record video,take a still photo every five seconds, or use it as a regular stillcamera. Once done riding, you simply connect the Hero toyour computer or television via the included cable and watchyourself shred the mountain.

Although the helmet mounts work very well, we becamefans of the chest-mount harness ($39, not included). The chestmount takes practically all of the guesswork out of where toaim the Hero, because once mounted, we aimed it up as far asit could go, and that position was spot-on for a perfect, wide-angle view of the handlebar and trail ahead.

The GoPro Helmet Hero Wide is not only a fun way torecord and share your riding experiences, but competitivetypes will appreciate the ability to record and analyze a fullday of practice and race runs. Visit www.mbaction.com to viewsome of the footage we’ve shot.

every penny counts, this is the best $15you can spend on rubber. By the way,CST is part of Maxxis Tires, andrumors abound that because of similari-ties in tread pattern and sidewalls, theyare essentially the same tire. Not true.There is a big ride, and price differencebetween the two.

©2009 FOX Factory Inc. All rights reserved

In a perfect world.

rC2

DHXair

5.0

MTB

AM/F

R/DH

talas .

rc2

36

Visit our all-new website: foxracingshox.com

In a perfect world, you’d be instantly ready for any terrain. With the 36® TALAS® RC2, you are. The 3-position lever allows for on-the-fl y travel adjustments with optimized spring curves, for repeatable and consistent performance. The tool-free thru axle system makes wheel changes fast and easy, and massive 36 mm stanchions deliver unparalleled stiffness and front-end confi dence so you can keep pushing the limits. Purpose built. Race proven. FOX Racing Shox. We’re never done.

The DHX® Air 5.0 is the heavy-duty trail riding shock in a lightweight package. The large volume air spring and position-sensitive, velocity sensitive Boost Valve® damping offer an amazing amount of stutter-bump through big-hit performance in any type of terrain. With adjustable ProPedal,® linear adjustable rebound and indepen-dently adjustable bottom-out resistance, the DHX Air is ready to get you there...wherever your there might be.

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ADS_1.indd 32 9/16/09 2:59:27 PM

34 www.mbaction.com

THRASH TESTS

Fulcrum mountain bike wheels hitthe ground rolling in 2004 and are anoffshoot of Italy’s Campagnolo brand.World and Olympic champion JulienAbsalon put their cross-country wheelson the map, and we’ve been throwingdown laps on our Fulcrum Red Firedownhill wheelset at Whistler,Northstar Bike Park, MammothMountain and SoCal downhill races.The Red Fire wheelset sells for $960.Tech features: The Red Fire’s

anodized rim is made specifically fortubeless tires and utilizes Fulcrum’sUltra-Fit tubeless mounting system.Milling inside the rim saves weight,

while asymmetrical drilling permits bet-ter spoke balancing. The rear wheel has150-millimeter hub spacing and is 12-millimeter thru-axle specific. The fronthub only accepts 20-millimeter thru-axles. The Fulcrum Red Fire wheels aresold complete with wheel bags and tube-less valve stems. Our Red Fire wheelsweighed 4.9 pounds per set. Fulcrum,(619) 931-0106.After the thrashing: The wrecking

crew raced and rode the Fulcrum RedFire wheels on some of the most dynam-ic terrain in the world, from the bestCalifornia has to offer to the world-classriding of Whistler Mountain Bike Park.The wheels have held up well, consider-ing the abuse they’ve seen.

As fans of tubeless tires in general, weare stoked when we see a performancedownhill wheelset that is tubeless specif-ic. Fulcrum insists that only UST ortubeless-specific tires be used on the RedFire wheels, so, depending on the ter-

FULCRUM RED FIRE WHEELS

High-tech wheels from a legendary Italian brand★★★✩✩

Specialized claims the S-Works MT is the lightest hel-met in the world that com-plies with CPSC standardsand sells for $200.Tech features: New for

2010, the S-Works MT helmetnow features a mountainbike-specific visor, newgraphics, and maximum ven-tilation for endurance racing.Meeting safety standards forbicycle helmets, the S-WorksMT is made from dual-densi-ty EPS foam and has aKevlar-reinforced Inner

Matrix design to save weight and achieve larger vent ports.The Pro Fit 360 retention system is adjustable on the fly andhas been slimmed down to drop some weight. The thin, softpadding now reaches around to the front of the forehead for

increased comfort andsweat retention. Our sizemedium helmet weighed10 ounces. Specialized,(877) 808-8154.After the thrashing:

The first thing you’ll noticeabout the new S-Works MThelmet is its stylish, perfor-mance-oriented appearance,yet it doesn’t look as thoughit belongs in the pro roadpeloton. Its mountain-spe-cific visor now mounts tothe side of the helmetinstead of the center like ontheir Decibel helmet. Thepraise doesn’t stop at the MT’s appearance, as it’s extremelylightweight and comfortable. The additional padding in thefront of the Pro Fit 360 retention system greatly increasescomfort. Although designed for competitive enduranceracing, the S-Works MT’s stylish appearance, remarkable lightweight and improved level of comfort will earn it high marksfrom those poised on the starting line and the trailhead. ❑

SPECIALIZED S-WORKS MT HELMET

Light and stylish lid from the “Big S”★★★★★

rain, we ran different combinations of2.5-inch Maxxis UST DH High Rollersand 2.5-inch Maxxis UST DH Minion Ftires, front and rear. One of the “blackeyes” of the tubeless world is how diffi-cult tires can be to mount. By simplyadding a touch of soapy water aroundthe tire’s bead, we were able to mountand properly seat both models of theMaxxis tires with a floor pump.

A huge concern when running tube-less tires is burping the tire off the rim.In the past, we’ve had to run over 5 psimore air pressure on certain tubelesswheels to keep the rubber from rollingoff the rim and rapidly losing air pres-sure. With the Maxxis UST DH tires(and one non-UST type), we neverburped a tire when pushing the RedFire wheels to the limit on black-dia-mond downhill terrain. On other down-hill designs, we had to shy away fromair pressures under 30 psi, but not onthese Fulcrum wheels. A 170-poundrider confidently ran between 24 and 28psi on every type of downhill terrain.

So, why not a higher star rating?Right out of the gate, we put some mas-sive dings in both the front and rearwheels, and they also came out of truequickly. To our surprise, the deep, gash-like dents in the rim didn’t hinder thewheel’s ability to be run tubeless orretain air when in use. The FulcrumRed Fire wheels are a great tubelessdesign and lightweight for a downhillwheelset, but we would label TheFulcrum Red Fire a race-day-specificwheelset and not ideal for everydaydownhill abuse.

36 www.mbaction.com

INSIDE LINE

Got a question about mountain biking? Send it to “Inside Line” and let some of the most know-ledgeable folks who ride answer it for you. E-mail your question to [email protected], and we’llget it answered.

NEW TRAILSI have a number of riding buddies who are ready and will-

ing to pitch in the labor to make new singletrack in ourlocal forest. Where do we start? How do you find out whocontrols and manages the land? How do you submit a pro-posal?

Gene FineLos Alamos, New MexicoThanks go out to you from all mountain bikers for

your offer to build us some new singletrack to ride. TheInternational Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA)deals with building, improving and maintaining single-track all over the world. We asked Mark Eller, IMBA’scommunications director, for the goods on how to get atrail project underway.

First, it’s great to hear that Gene wants to get his trailbuilt with the land manager’s blessing. Unauthorized trailbuilding is a growing problem, and while it offers a short-term fix, the end result is usually a short-lived trail that getsclosed within a season or two. Worse yet, the existence of thesetrails can jeopardize future projects. Forming a strong part-nership with the land manager will create a situation inwhich everyone wins.

The best way to get a new trail built is to take a well-planned, business-like approach. Detailed tips on how to write asuccessful trail proposal can be found in IMBA’s books “TrailSolutions” and “Managing Mountain Biking.” We also offerlots of free resources on our website, www.imba.com. Here are afew more tips to get your project started:

1) Land managers are generally unwilling to work with a

loose-knit group of riders. They would rather form a partnershipwith an organized club. IMBA can help a new club get started.Or, you might be able to save time and energy by taking yourplan to an existing club.

2) Many of IMBA’s clubs have partnership agreements withlocal land managers. These formal partnerships allow the clubsto propose new trails, gain approval and get them built on a rea-sonable timeline.

3) Get in touch with every rider you know, form a workinggroup, and invite them to join your local organization.According to Judd de Vall, a pro rider and IMBA trail builderwho has built dozens of world-class trails and jump parks,“Involving a wide range of people gives everyone ownership andensures the project’s future. The best singletrack trails, stuntareas and jump parks tend to be the result of a blend of ideas.”

4) There is no such thing as being too organized when itcomes to trail plans. Essential elements for presenting yourideas include a well-dialed presentation, a walk-through tour ofthe proposed corridor and a highly detailed map of where yourtrail will be situated.

5) Work with the land manager to develop a comprehensivesignage system for your trails. Signs should be placed at theentrance and other key locations. The main sign should describethe overall trail network, offer safety guidelines, provide riskwarnings, and give helpful, site-specific tips.

6) Be prepared to make a commitment to inspecting andmaintaining the trail after it’s built. Even the best-designedtrails need continual upkeep, and land managers will be moreenthusiastic about your proposal if your group is willing to stayinvolved in maintaining the trail in the years ahead. ❑

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adstemplate.indd 6 8/14/09 11:07:51 AM

MBA est

swingarm pivot yoke that sweeps around the front derailleurto meet the suspension’s offset lower link. The bottombracket, lower-link pivot and shock mount are integratedinto one masterfully carved piece of aluminum, and the sus-pension’s upper links arch inwards to meet the upper shockeyelet with minimal use of materials. All moving parts pivoton composite bushings, and there are grease ports at eachpivot location so anyone can maintain the Flux’s movingparts. There is a lot going on with the Flux frame, but theelements blend well, which gives the Turner a simple, airyprofile.

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?David Turner is a great technical bike handler, so we

expected each part chosen for the Flux Pro-Kit build toreflect a specific purpose. Industry Nine XC wheels are later-ally stiff and light enough for all but weight weenie racers.Who can argue with Fox Suspension? The Flux gets a spe-

cially valved Fox Float RP23 shock and the 2010FIT-valve-equipped 32 Float F32RLC 100 fork.

The surprise addition was Formula R1 brakes—arguably the lightest cross-country brakes avail-able.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?The dw-link suspension is hypersensitive to

compression damping, so most dw-linksubscribers use custom-valved

shocks with more air-springvolume and the least

amount of compressionvalving possible. We dis-covered that using 30-percent sag at the shockand running the fork’sspring pressure slightlystiffer (25-percent sag)gave the Turner the

most balanced ride.Singletrack: Weaving

through the woods andslashing up and down

switchbacks is fun stuff aboardthe Flux. Its steep-for-2009 head

tube and seat tube angles, along withthe bike’s 16.7-inch chainstay length, are close to the geome-try of the golden years of cross-country racing, so it shouldcome as no surprise that the Flux simply shreds in the mid-dle chainring. Its 2.0-inch rear tire would give up tractionwhen we pushed it hard around corners, but not in a scarymanner.Climbing: Where Turner’s version of dw-link suspension

shines is climbing in big gears up moderate grades. The Fluxmoves out with alacrity. Racers will appreciate this, becausemost hill work is done in the middle ring. Granny gearclimbs feel firm at the pedals, and there’s little or no tenden-cy for the bike to loft its front tire when the grade is steep.The slightly forward position created by the steepish seatangle requires some rearward pressure on the saddle to pre-vent wheel spin, but once noted, it makes for a much more

D avid Turner was one of the first believers in thenow-proven theory that a short-travel, dual-suspen-sion bike is more efficient and far more versatile

than the traditional hardtail. He has been building some ofthe world’s best dual-suspension bikes for two decades, andthe 2010 Flux is the most recent Turner to carry on David’scross-country heritage.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?At 24 pounds, ready to go, and without any fluffy parts to

hinder its performance, Turner’s Flux is a lightweight cross-country trailbike that could easily be outfitted as a racingmachine with the addition of lighter wheels and tubelesstires. The Flux is the go-to bike for competitors who wantone bike to race and trail ride—or any cross-country enthu-siast who loves the old school, snappy steering and quick-accelerating racer feel, yet still needs a bike that can descenda steep, rocky section without fear.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?David Turner is the master of aluminum, and was once

the strongest supporter of the venerable Horst-Link suspen-sion, but he abandoned that design and experimented with asingle-pivot suspension before settling on the dw-link sys-tem. The key ingredient of dw-link (a dual-link version ofthe classic four-bar design) is its anti-squat feature that can-cels out most unwanted suspension bobbing associated withpedaling.

Beyond dw-link, however, is Turner’s mastery of compo-nent integration. David’s pioneering use of complex CNC-machined frame junctions is well represented on the Flux’s3.9-inch-travel aluminum frame. The asymmetricalswingarm uses Turner’s trademark rectangular tubes (whichterminate at stiff I-beam dropouts) and a sweet-looking

A Capable Trailbike With An Old-School Cross-Country Feel The Turner Flux

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Taking it to the edge:Few cross-country rac-ing machines are moreadept in technical situ-ations than the Turner

Flux. It tracks preciselyand exudes confi-

dence.

What it’s made for: Climbing is particularly effective with theFlux’s suspension left on because the bike rolls so smoothlyover the chatter without bleeding leg power. Purists maychoose the Fox ProPedal option, but it isn’t necessary.

Cross-Country Feelergonomic climbing position on nasty grades. If you are ofthe opinion that no suspension is the best suspension forclimbing, then engage the Fox ProPedal lever, and the Fluxwill oblige with a rather harsh ride and a near-hardtail feelat the pedals. We left the platform option off to let the sus-pension keep the rear tire hooked up. In fact, we only usedthe ProPedal to test its effects.Descending: Pointed back down the mountain, the Flux

makes its pilot wish that he had an inch or more of wheeltravel. The bike’s excellent handling and strong, easy-to-modulate brakes make it easy to ride up to the razor’s edgeof its cross-country suspension and skinny, 2.0-inch KendaKarma rear tire. The Flux is so enjoyable on the downhillsections that it leaves you wishing for more. On a side note,when coasting, the Industry Nine wheel’s freehub ratchetmakes a hissing sound—something between a draggy discbrake with metallic pads and a stick rubbing on a cross-country tire tread. The sound is a bit unnerving initially.Braking: The Formula R1s are strong stoppers that deliv-

er boosted control and less hand fatigue on long descents.Some of the crew marked these stoppers down as the mostpowerful brakes they have ever enjoyed.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?If we used it for trail riding, then our first upgrade would

be to switch out the rear tire to a matching Kenda Nevegal.Another upgrade worth considering would be to order up a15QR thru-axle fork. The reality is, however, that the Pro-Kit is perfect for the bike’s intended application as a race-able cross-country machine with tons of trailbike perfor-mance in the bank.

BUYING ADVICEHeavy-handed, big-travel trail skidders should steer clear

of the Flux. This is a refined machine designed for bettermen. Experienced trail riders who can ride a lightweightcross-country bike at the speed of light will love the TurnerFlux. It’s far more capable than most dedicated cross-coun-try racers, and it gets its edge from Dave Turner’s sensiblegeometry choices and unparalleled experience with thegenre. If you want a lightweight, dual-suspension bike andhave a need for speed, look no further. ❑

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Sweet integration: (clockwise from top left) Turner’s CNC-machined bottom bracket catches the lower link pivot andtriples as the shock mount. Turner’s vertical shock place-ment and tucked-in dual-link suspension give the bike aclean and lightweight profile. Formula R1 disc brakes arebeautiful, powerful and remarkably lightweight.

TURNER FLUX PRO-KITPriceCountry of originWeightHotlineFrame testedBottom bracket heightChainstay lengthTop tube lengthHead angleSeat angleStandover heightWheelbaseSuspension travel (front)Suspension travel (rear)Frame materialForkShockRimsTiresHubBrakesBrake leversCranksetShiftersHandlebarFront derailleurRear derailleurChainringsCassettePedals

$6478 (frame/shock $2395)USA24.1 pounds(951) 677-171117" (medium)12.9"16.7"23.3"70°73.5°29"43.5"3.9"3.9"AluminumFox F32 RLC 100Fox Float RP23Industry Nine XCKenda Nevegal (2.1"), Karma (2.0")Industry NineFormula R1 (6" rotors)Formula R1Shimano XTRShimano XTR triggersEaston Monkey Lite SL (25.5")Shimano XTRShimano XTR (Shadow)Shimano XTR (44/32/22)Shimano XTR (11-34)None (weighed with Shimano XTR)

Maxxis is proud to introduce the new Aspen XC race tire. A tire made for

speed and control, and a personal preference of XC Champion Geoff Kabush. The Aspen boasts a low profile center tread, extremely lightweight construction and cornering lugs that grip in the tightest corners. The perfect tire for cross-country racers seeking an edge.

The Aspen – Built To Win.

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How To RideHow To RideSwitchbackTurnsTurns

How To RideSwitchbackTurns

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Make yourbike dothe work

L ike ’em or hate ’em, switchback turns are a factof life in the mountains. If you are lucky, yourlocal singletracks were cut in relatively recently

by bike-friendly folks who rounded the turns just rightfor a mountain bike’s 43-inch-wheelbase. More likely,however, you’ll be facing much tighter bends, oftenwith steps, that many of us assume were intentionallyconstructed as barriers to cyclists—which is laughableconsidering that with rare exception, the world’s trailswere made for foot travel, long before the mountainbike was conceived. The fact that the most difficult

R.Cunningham

switchback to ride can be easily negotiated after dismount-ing bears witness to this.

Being forced off the bike to round a corner is a conces-sion that many mountain bikers are reluctant to make, sothey view switchbacks with contempt. Seasoned trail rid-ers take them as a challenge—and often backtrack to retrythe ones they fail to ride cleanly. Of course, there willalways be switchbacks that prove too difficult or precari-ous to master, but with the addition of a few skills andsome practice, most can be ridden. The following tips willget you started.


Go ahead, rip it up: Trails at pay-and-play parks like Whistler Mountain inBritish Columbia are reinforced to with-stand the most aggressive riding styles.When you ride on public lands, however,avoid skids and slides. Roll the corners.

Action: Wade Simmons, Freight TrainTrail, Whistler Mountain Bike Park.

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There are three ways to negotiate atight downhill switchback. The mostdestructive is also the most popular: A)Lock the rear wheel and turn in sharply.B) Skid the rear end around and releasethe rear brake when the bike is pointeddown the next straightaway. If this is youand you are not riding at a bike park oron an official racecourse, you are a jerk. Ifyou don’t agree with me, spend a coupleof days with an IMBA trail crew fixingswitchbacks that have been beaten intogravel and rutted by skidders, and you’llemerge with a new perspective.

The second method requires a skill setthat eludes most enthusiasts (you’ll needperfect balance and ice cold nerves): A)Turn in slightly and stiffen your upperbody and arms. B) One-third of the wayaround the corner, squeeze the frontbrake hard enough to lift the rear wheeland pivot at the waist to swing the rearend of the bike around. C) When the bikeis pointing down the next straight, releasethe brake and roll down the remainder ofthe switchback. With a little practice, anovice rider can pull off a nose-wheelieturn on relatively flat ground, but repeat-ing the same trick down a rocky switch-back on the edge of a cliff requires mas-tery of the move that I don’t possess. Iwon’t risk it.

The third method is the least destruc-tive and most useful technique. Mostswitchbacks, even the tight ones withsteps, can be ridden around withoutresorting to dramatic tricks or destructiveskidding. The key is to use both front andrear brakes, but keep the wheels rolling:A) Start your turn wide and steer in witha decisive twist of the handlebar as closeto the apex of the switchback as possible.B) As your front wheel passes the turn’sapex, ease off the brakes and let the bikebounce down the step. Forget about therear wheel—it will find its way around.Keep your front wheel online, and all willend well. C) Force yourself to look aroundthe bend and down the straightawaywhile you completely release the brakesand resume pedaling. (I talk myselfthrough this last step to make sure I don’tstare over the edge.)Tip: A remote-adjustable seatpost like

the Gravity Dropper will lower your fearfactor and the bike’s center of gravity—highly recommended for difficult switch-backs.

SwitchbackTurns

Downhill switchback, step one: Startwell to the outside of the turn, pedalslevel, and use both the front and rearbrake with even pressure to control speedand avoid skidding. Stay low and cen-tered on the bike so you won’t be caughttoo far behind upon exiting the turn.

Turn in decisively, step two:Turning in early and with convictionis the key to success for downhillswitchbacks. Aim for the inside ofthe corner, even though it lookssteeper there. This will provide moreoptions as you exit the switchback.

The panic point, step three: With thebike pointed down at such a steep angle,and the edge of the trail looming closelyto the front wheel, the final third of adownhill switchback spooks most ridersinto abandoning ship when, in fact, theyhave successfully turned the corner.Overcome the paralysis. Order your armsto steer into the corner a bit more, andease off the brakes.

Look down the trail, step four: Toexit a switchback (or any turn) prop-erly, lift your head and look directlydown the trail. It is common for aseries of stairsteps to follow a steepswitchback, so stay ahead of thebike and save the celebration for thenext rest stop.

DOWNHILL SWITCHBACKSTAKE THE PATH OF LEAST DESTRUCTION

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Uphill switchbacks require patience,power and proper weight transfer. Trialsriders like Ryan Leech teach us that we canhop our bikes up almost anything, butRyan’s mastery is beyond the reach of aver-age enthusiasts. What we can all learnfrom Ryan, however, is to size up the turnahead of time, enter the corner with a plan,and stay cool as we execute the sequence ofmoves we need to get up and around theturn.

Here are the steps: A) Begin by gettinginto position early with your weight nearthe nose of the saddle and your upper bodylowered over the handlebar. B) Choose agear that is low enough to get up and overthe turn, but not so low that you will riskspinning the rear tire. Second gear is usual-ly better than the granny. C) Steer yourbike like it is an old school bus. Start theturn as far to the outside as practical andsteer into the corner with a decisive twistof the handlebar—you won’t need to leanthe bike much. D) Take your time. Thinkonly about turning the handlebar into thecorner and keeping sufficient weight onthe rear tire for traction. Slow down andreposition yourself if necessary. Rushingan uphill switchback invariably ends indisaster. E) Saw away on the handlebar tomaintain your balance. Let the front tirewander all over the trail, because onlyclimbing traction and the position of therear tire matters on an uphill corner.Tip: Most riders lose traction or simply

fall over in the final third of an uphillswitchback because they fail to turn thehandlebar enough to make a significantcorrection.

UPHILL SWITCHBACKSTAKE YOUR TIME AND GET IT RIGHT

Uphill switchback, step one: Start well to the outside of the turn, and be settledinto a climbing position, crouched low over the bike and ready to weight the reartire for traction.

Turn in decisively, step two: Angle the bike into the turn (you don’t need to leanmuch) and give the handlebars a big twist to initiate the turn so that you round theswitchback close to the apex. Don’t attack; pedal smoothly to stay balanced.

The crux move,step three: Two-thirds of the wayaround is where

most riders fail andset a foot down.

Forget about wherethe front wheel is

going, keep pedal-ing and concen-

trate on maintain-ing rear wheel trac-

tion. At this point,you should feel like

you are seatedupright in a chair,steering the bike

like a school bus—it’s not an intuitive

process.

Exit, step four:By the final three

pedals of theswitchback, mostriders will be star-

ing at the traildirectly in front of

their wheel,which causes therider to drift wide,

and the bike tofall towards the

inside of the cor-ner. Flick the han-

dlebar about 30degrees into the

turn to catch yourbalance as you

accelerate out ofthe switchback.

or call 661 257 2756visit us at SIXSIXONE.COM

- New pressure-formed “impact-zone” protection areas for chest, shoulder, elbow and upper arm.- Chest area features removable hard plastic breast plate.- Thumb loops keep arm protection in place.- Injection-molded plastic shoulder cups.- Adjustable Velcro® strap closures.- Open weave stretch fabric gives great fi t and ventilation.

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Trail designers avoid switchback turns because they are extremely timeconsuming to construct and are subject to vandalism by ignorant membersof every backcountry user group. Maintaining switchbacks is a gruelingtask. Because they are usually built where the terrain is excessively steepor rugged, soil and reinforcing material often have to be imported fromelsewhere on the mountain. So, if you and your skidding buddies gougeout a rut around a switchback, a volunteer—probably another mountainbiker who doesn’t skid up the trail—has to walk a few miles up to the site,dig, and then carry filler rocks and reinforcing materials to fill the rut(simply filling it with dirt won’t work because boneheads will dig that outin one run). Then, the trail worker must redesign the entrance to the turnwith features like stone steps so that it will resist rutting in the future.Multiply that effort by every switchback on your local mountain, and youwill begin to understand how much wasted time and effort could beavoided if we learned to control our speed and corner without locking upour rear wheels. ❑

AVOID DAMAGING SWITCHBACKSTHANK YOU FOR CARING

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Up and over: The R.I.P. 9 will have yourolling over obstacles that you didn’tthink were possible to clear. The combi-nation of superior traction, quality traveland spot-on geometry make this bike amiracle worker.


MBA est

Big Wheels For The Trail RiderThe Niner R.I.P. 9

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?Our R.I.P. 9 was built like it was intended as a trail rider’s

last bike. Starting at the front with a 2010 Fox 32 F-Series forkwith Fox Isolation Technology (FIT) and a 15QR front axleand ending at the Shimano XTR rear derailleur, there wasn’tone corner cut or compromise made. As it rolls, this R.I.P. 9would set you back something in the neighborhood of $6000.

Our Niner used a bolt-on rear wheel skewer. Niner employsthis setup on their single-speeds and feels it adds rigidity to thebike’s rear end.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?Ergonomics: There is no mistaking that you are aboard a

29-inch-wheeled bike when you take your place at the controlson the R.I.P. 9. It is not the standover height, which at 30inches is reasonable for any trailbike with this much travel, orthe big wheels that tip you off. It is the feeling of sitting inside

the cockpit rather than on top of it that clues you in to theunique ride experience that lies ahead.

Moving out: The 29-inch wheels (and the taller gear-ing they bring to the party) require a little extra effortto get rolling from a dead stop, but once up to a com-fortable spin, the large wheels float over trail chatter,maintaining momentum that no 26-inch-wheeled

trailbike could match. For singletrack, we set the CVAsuspension with a full 20-percent sag and never felt

the need to employ the shock’s ProPedallever.

Cornering: Niner has dialedthe R.I.P. 9’s geometry so the

bike snakes along a twistysingletrack with the agility ofa 26-inch-wheeled bike. Thebike offers the corneringtraction of tires one sizelarger than what they arerated. This allows the riderto hold a higher speed on the

intended line without taking askills clinic. If you do need to

scrub speed, the added tractionallows you to go deeper into the cor-

ner and use less brake. The only time yousense the larger wheels is when the corners includeelevation gain.Climbing: The key to successful ascension is to find a

gear you can spin and work it. Dropping below a comfort-able cadence will take more effort to overcome because ofyour taller gearing and the bike’s close-to-30-poundweight. Still, if you do find yourself dropping rpm, out-of-the-saddle efforts are rewarded with great traction and nonoticeable suspension bobbing.In the rough: This may be the most unique characteris-

tic of the bike and one of the hardest to explain. We can’tsay, like Niner claims, that the larger wheels feel the sameas adding travel, but they definitely help in rough terrain.The wheels and the suspension constantly divvy up thehit-absorption duties, and it is hard to tell when onehands off to the other. The R.I.P. 9 bites the trail, absorbsor rolls the hits (big and small) and allows you to hold

Manitou offer 29er forks with the tapered steerer tube). Thetop tube and downtube are hydroformed. Forged or extrudedparts are used to increase strength without a weight penalty.

The non-drive-side dropout is replaceable, as is the driveside. Why? This allows you to adapt a Maxle rear axle, aRohloff internal speed hub, or, like on our test bike, a tradi-tional nine-millimeter axle.

Niner’s dual-link suspension is called CVA, short forConstantly Varying Arc. The forged lower link swings belowthe bottom bracket, and the triangulated swingarm sits low inrelation to the plane of the axles to obtain clearance for 2.35-inch tires and a short-for-29er chainstay length. The seat tubeis angled to make room for the tire during full suspensioncompression. The linkage configuration was chosen to keepthe suspension moving under braking and acceleration.

The frame even includes integrated cable guides if the riderwants to use an adjustable-height seatpost. Niner really doessweat the small stuff.

The Niner R.I.P. 9 is not just another four-inch-traveltrailbike. While the majority of trailbikes utilize 26-inch-diameter wheels, Niner only builds their bikes

with 29-inch wheels. Add the big hoops to Niner’s CVA sus-pension technology and you have a unique, fresh trailbike thathandles singletrack like no other bike.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?Since Niner offers the dual-suspended Jet 9 (tested MBA,

February 2009) for cross-country racing and the W.F.O. 9 formore technical trails, they could concentrate on the needs of atrail rider when designing and building the R.I.P. 9. Thatmeans you get 4.5 inches of rear-wheel travel and a framedesigned with an emphasis on longevity and reliability.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?The R.I.P. 9 is an aluminum-framed trailbike. It boasts a

tapered head tube that accepts a conventional 1-1/8-inchsteerer tube or tapered steerer tube (RockShox, Fox and

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Finding the good line: The R.I.P. 9 gives you more line optionsbecause of its tractability. Don’t give up. Put the power to thepedals and this bike will pull you around and through situationsyou weren’t expecting to clear.

Beauty to behold: (Clockwise from top left) The head tube willaccept tapered steerer tube forks, the hardware covering the sus-pension’s sealed bearings looks like it was borrowed from NASAand the forged lower link swings below the bottom bracket.

R.I.P. 9intended lines with seamless and progressive performance.Only bottoming the suspension clues you in to the end ofthe travel, and even then the chassis is solid and predictable.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?Niner says the R.I.P. 9 can be built for park riding. We feel

the bike’s true potential is for serious trail riding and recom-mend going with the company’s W.F.O. 9 if you are a seasonpass holder.

We’d ditch the bolt-on rear-wheel skewer in favor of aquick-release skewer.

The big wheels put you at a gearing disadvantage over con-ventional wheels. The lowest gear on the R.I.P. 9 is compara-ble to a 42 chainring (the granny gear) matched to a 30-toothcog on a 26-inch bike. If you’ve been eating a lot of pizza lately,that will be a tall gear on the last few climbs of a long day.

BUYING ADVICEThis is a no-brainer for any rider considering moving from a

29er hardtail trailbike to dual-suspension. The trail ridingexperience is seriously enhanced with the addition of thisbike’s quality travel. It is not as simple for the trail ridercurrently using a 26-inch-wheeled bike; it all comes down toriding style and terrain. Riders who frequent tight trails withlots of ups, downs and speed change-ups will be hard pressedto give up their 26ers. Riders who battle loose surfaces, lots oftrail chatter and love to flow will find themselves ripping onthe R.I.P. 9. ❑

NINER R.I.P. 9PriceCountry of originWeightHotlineSize testedBottom bracket heightChainstay lengthTop tube lengthHead tube angleSeat tube angleStandover heightWheelbaseSuspension travel (front)Suspension travel (rear)Frame materialForkShockRimsTiresHubsBrakesBrake leversCranksetShiftersHandlebarFront derailleurRear derailleurChainringsCassettePedals

$1799 (frame, headset and shock)Taiwan29.6 pounds(877) 646-379218" (medium)13.75"18"24"71.5°74°30"43.5"4.7"4.5"AluminumFox 32F 29 RLCFox Float RP23NoTubes ZTR Flow 29’erPanaracer Rampage 29 (2.35")Chris King ISOShimano XTRShimano XTRShimano XTRShimano XTR RapidfireSyntaceVector (27")Shimano XTRShimano XTRShimano (44/32/22)XTR (11-34)Shimano XTR

Enjoy a fl ex-free, Advanced Thermal Formed 6000 series aluminum frame, exclusive forged and machined aluminum rocker and a bunch of the World’s best parts. Six inches of legendary Titus suspension, and the ability to ride where you probably shouldn’t. To fi nd out more about the Titus El Guapo visit titusti.com

The New Titus El Guapo. Specifi cally engineered for irresponsible people.

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World-class riders crash mountain biking’s biggest party

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I n the six years since its inception, the Kokanee Crankworx Festival has becomeWhistler’s biggest mountain bike event and rivals any mountain bike festival inthe world. The weeklong festival consists of both amateur and professional riders

competing in gravity-fed racing and a slopestyle contest. Each year, the WhistlerMountain Bike Park and its surrounding trails grow more impressive, and theCrankworx Festival follows suit.

We picked the brains of a handful of the event’s major players and asked them toelaborate on their 2009 Crankworx experience. Brian Lopes brought home a healthypaycheck for a few days of work by winning three events. Greg Watts capturedslopestyle gold, Tyler Morland saw his vision of the Canadian Open Downhill race-course come to life, and Jill Kintner won both slalom races and scored a second placein the Air Downhill.

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Talent pool: The skill of the slopestyleriders competing at Crankworx is offthe charts. Cove Bikes’ Eric Lawrenukspun above the crowd in the qualifiers,but missed out on a spot in the finals.


BBrriiaann LLooppeessAt 37 years old, World Champion Brian Lopes isn’t slowing down.

Although he retired from World Cup downhill racing years ago, he wonhis fourth consecutive A-Line Air Downhill race, besting several currenttop World Cup downhillers. Lopes also won the Giant Slalom event andthe Canadian Enduro Open Downhill race. How does he still do it?

“I have the track wired, plus my years of jumping experience are a bigadvantage on this course,” explains Lopes. “The fact that I’ve always rid-den a smaller bike in this event helps me stay a bit lower. I probably losesome time in the chattery turns, but downhill bikes feel too big for me onthis course.”

The famous A-Line Downhill isn’t a technically demanding event, likethe Garbanzo Downhill or Canadian Open Downhill course, but it’s noless physical.

“I’ve won the 14-minute-long Garbanzo Downhill and actually thoughtit was physically easier than winning the A-Line event,” Lopes says.“Garbanzo is so gnarly. You have to pace yourself, because there will beplaces to make up time in the long event. A-Line’s race may be easiertechnically, but there’s no place to make up any time. Every jump is waytoo short for the speed we’re hitting, but you have to pedal any chanceyou can. You have to race A-Line perfectly, every jump and turn, andsprint the entire time. Out of the four years I’ve won that race, this yearwas the least physically demanding of all my wins. I wasn’t huffing like inthe past.”

Big winner: Brian Lopes dominated (almost) everyevent he entered. He leads the field through theEnduro Open course. For the Enduro Downhill,Lopes raced his 6.3-inch-travel Ibis Mojo HD with aMarzocchi 66 fork. For rubber, he used his signatureprototype 2.35-inch Kenda El Moco front tire and a2.2-inch Kenda Karma rear tire mounted to EastonHavoc wheels and ran tubeless with Stan’s sealant.

Wall of refreshment: The top slopestyleriders can navigate a variety of terrain

features. Geoff Gulevich sends his RockyMountain off a wall ride.

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Crowd favorite: Whistler’s ownBrandon Semenuk is at the top of theslopestyle game. He won this year’sCrankworx Colorado event and nar-rowly finished second in Whistler.

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The champ: High-flying Greg Watts soaredto victory in front of thousands of fansaboard his custom five-inch-travel GaryFisher Roscoe. It has tweaked geometry forslopestyle riding and is equipped with anair-sprung RockShox Lyrik fork andBontrager components.

CCrraannkkwwoorrxx

RESULTSMEN’S 1. Justin Leov, Trek Racing, 13:44.552. Chris Kovarik, Chain Reaction, +2.063. Sam Hill, Monster/Specialized, +3.764. Marc Beaumont, GT Bikes, +14.005. Curtis Keene, Specialized, +18.006. Andrew Neethling, Trek Racing, +26.777. Steve Smith, MS Evil, +32.418. Bryn Atkinson, Crankbro/Intense, +33.149. Jack Reading, Ellsworth/Oneal, +35.9010. Bernat Guardia, Massi, +37.08

WOMEN’S 1. Miranda Miller, Santa Cruz, 16:32.322. Emmeline Ragot, Suspension Ctr, +3.693. Kathy Pruitt, Jamis, +20.324. Fionn Griffiths, Norco, +25.245. Danice Uyesugi, Trek/SRAM, +40.38

GARBANZO DOWNHILL

Payday: By our calculations (meaning adding up his over-sized podium checks) Brian Lopes (4) brought home $9000 inprize money from his four days of racing. Three first placesand a second—not too shabby.


GGrreegg WWaattttssOver the past five years, Northern California’s Greg Watts has

been at the forefront of the slopestyle scene. However, Watts’ biggestcontest victory came when he beat the world’s best tricksters at theirown game. Although he won the Volkswagen Best Trick contest atlast year’s Crankworx, his previous best result in the slopestyle con-test was seventh place. What was going through Greg’s head duringhis final, contest-winning run?

“Basically, the whole day all I could think about was that finalrun,” Watts said. “I had so much going through my head that I don’tthink I really decided on the tricks of my final run until I droppedin! It’s definitely a nerve-racking event, but not because of the hugecrowd or because it’s the biggest contest of the year. It is the chanceof getting really hurt that causes the tension. Once I got to the bot-tom of my clean run, it was the best feeling in the world.”

Strait ahead: SoCal’s Kyle Strait kept thebackflips and tailwhips at home, and broughthis race face to Crankworx. Kyle won the tra-ditional Dual Slalom by beating Brian Lopesin the finals earlier in the week, but only last-ed a few rounds of the Giant Slalom.

Top seed:Giant-sponsoredJared Rando(right) did histeam proud asthe top qualifierin the GiantSlalom. Aftereliminating MikeHaderer here, hecruised to thefinals, whereBrian Lopes gotthe best of him.

Pinner: You may recognizeSteve Smith from our

September issue “YoungRippers” feature. Stevie

rode fast all week, scoring aseventh in the GarbanzoDownhill, sixth in the Air

Downhill, and third place inthe Canadian Open

Downhill event.

RESULTSGIANT SLALOM

MEN’S 1. Brian Lopes, Ibis/Oakley/Marzocchi2. Jared Rando, Giant Bicycles3. Johannes Fischbach, Ghost4. Michal Marosi, Self

WOMEN’S 1. Jill Kintner, Intense/Red Bull2. Emmeline Ragot, Suspension Ctr3. Leigh Donovan, Self4. Manon Carpenter, Royal/661

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Crack the whip: BrendanFairclough finished second placeto his teammate Sam Hill in theCanadian Open Downhill. It’s nosurprise two of the top WorldCup racers finished first andsecond on such a physicallydemanding course.

Spin to win: Last year’s CrankworxSlopestyle champ, Andreu Lacondeguy,won the VW Trick Showdown with a 360flatspin Superman and brought home$6000 for his effort.

Attention-getter: Turnerrider Kelly McGarry floatsoff one of the manySlopestyle course fea-tures. All eyes are on eachslopestyle rider duringevery run.


Over the past couple of years, the Canadian Open Downhillhas evolved into one of the most demanding racecourses in theworld. Whistler local, Canadian Downhill champion and SRAM“Special Agent” Tyler Morland explains how the Canadian OpenDownhill course was the culmination of a three-year vision.

“In the past, Crankworx has hosted the Canadian NationalChampionships or a Canada Cup,” explains Morland. “Aboutfour years ago, when the CCA (Canadian Cycling Association)held the National Champs here, it really left a nasty taste in theracers’ mouths. Six dudes in matching CCA polo shirts who hadnever ridden a mountain bike barked orders to change the course.From that point on, we decided to host our own legit downhillrace and make the Canadian Open Downhill course the best‘true’ downhill racecourse in the world. Crankworx draws the topathletes; therefore, Whistler Mountain was fully supportive of adownhill course that was ‘man-sized.’

“We pushed a good portion of the course under the chairlift soit wasn’t hidden in the trees and made sure we had several tech-nical elements to ensure that the best all-around rider wouldwin,” Morland says.

“The Canadian Open course was three years in the making,and to accomplish it took a lot of work and discussion. The keywas to stick to our original vision and not get sidetracked. Itcould not have been pulled off without the help of Kenny Smith,lead hand Andrew Gunn and machine operator extraordinaireMarty Gautry.”

TTyylleerr MMoorrllaanndd

Hands on: The mastermindbehind the Canadian Open

Downhill course wasDownhill Champion and

RockShox/Avid marketingfellow Tyler Morland. He

broke a pedal at the top ofthe course, but managed to

salvage a 12th place.

RESULTSAIR DOWNHILL

MEN’S 1. Brian Lopes, Ibis/Oakley/Marzocchi, 4:20.452. Chris Kovarik, Chain Reaction, +3.033. Andrew Neethling, Trek Racing, +3.974. Jared Rando, Giant Bicycles, +4.565. Marc Beaumont, GT Bikes, +6.836. Steve Smith, MS Evil, +7.487. Fabien Cousinie, Kenda/Morewood, +7.708. Justin Leov, Trek Racing, +8.129. Brendan Fairclough, Monster/Specialized, +9.0510. Kirt Voreis, Santa Cruz Syndicate, +9.46

WOMEN’S 1. Fionn Griffiths, Norco, 4:50.712. Jill Kintner, Intense/Red Bull, +1.003. Emmeline Ragot, Suspension Ctr, +1.334. Micayla Gatto, Commencal, +1.825. Melissa Buhl, KHS, +2.78

Reaping rewards:Whistler local KennySmith was instrumen-tal in the developmentof the extremely tech-nical Canadian OpenDownhill course.Kenny blazed thecourse on his way tosixth place in a fieldstacked with WorldCup regulars.

DUAL SLALOMRESULTS

MEN’S 1. Kyle Strait, Specialized/Team America2. Brian Lopes, Ibis/Oakley3. Johannes Fischbach, Ghost 4. Neko Mulally, Specialized/Team America

WOMEN’S 1. Jill Kintner, Intense/Red Bull/Oakley2. Fionn Griffiths, Norco3. Micayla Gatto, Commencal4. Melissa Buhl, KHS

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Jill Kintner brought home the mosthardware with wins in Slalom andGiant Slalom, and a second place inthe Air DH A-Line Downhill race.However, despite the intense racing,Jill feels that Crankworx is actually arefreshing event away from the WorldCup circuit.

“Crankworx is a great break in ourseason and also serves as perfect train-ing before the World Championships,”Kintner explains. “Events like theGiant Slalom have the same intenseracing action as 4-Cross, but withoutall of the pressure of having someonecrash into you. Giant Slalom has a lotof potential, because it’s fun for theriders and incorporates an event fromski racing into mountain bikes.

“Crankworx is so fun and the trailsare so good that I decided to try the A-Line Downhill, too,” Jill said. “Thefact that it’s a five-minute event makesit far outside of my trained endurance.I like the fact that you don’t have aperson in front of you like 4-Cross,and the conditions are changing all ofthe time.”

Breaking away: Jill Kintner smoked the competition as she won both the Giantand Dual slalom, and finished second in the A-Line Downhill. “My hands werehurting so bad,” said Jill. “I’m not used to racing downhill, and at the end of therace I had to sit down just to be able to hold on to the handlebar. That’s whenFionn got a little time on me.”

Lying around: Despite coming off a freshlybroken collarbone, Cam McCaul threwdown some impressive runs. Washing outon a front flip ended his quest for thefinals.

RESULTSSLOPESTYLE

Rider, Points1. Greg Watts, 96 2. Brandon Semenuk, 95.25 3. Martin Soederstrom, 90.754. Paul Basagoitia, 905. Cameron McCaul, 89.256. Mitch Chubey, 87.757. Darren Berrecloth, 87.508. Andreu Lacondeguy, 83


RESULTSCANADIAN OPEN DOWNHILL

MEN’S1. Sam Hill, Monster/Specialized, 3:02.562. Brendan Fairclough, Monster/Specialized, +8.173. Steve Smith, MS Evil Racing/Red Bull, +9.214. Joshua Button, Mongoose Gravity Team, +9.445. Neko Mulally, Specialized, +12.03

WOMEN’S1. Emmeline Ragot, Suspension Center, 3:45.052. Micayla Gatto, Commencal, +2.013. Claire Buchar, Team ChainReactionCycles.com, +7.944. Danice Uyesugi, Trek, +21.435. Dawn Cashen, Cycle Path Kelowna, +48.29

Don’t feed theBerrecloth: DarrenBerrecloth is already alegend in the young sportof mountain bikeslopestyle. It’s beentough sledding for him atrecent Crankworx events,as crashes have prevent-ed him from advancing tothe finals. ❑

Downtime: Brad Oienof Huntington Beach,

California, cruises asteep drop on the

“man-sized” CanadianOpen Downhill course

running under thechairlift.

Sent into orbit: Former Crankworx slopestyle rider PaulBasagoitia throws a 360 tailwhip off the first drop-in on theSlopestyle course. The skill level of the riders at Crankworx ismind-blowing.

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Spy shots, new gear and famous faces

A long with Whistler’s incredible terrain and riding action duringCrankworx, the Village has a unique life of its own. At any givenmoment you’ll see a world-class rider cruise by you on a bike full of

prototype components, spot a streaker or a guy in a bunny suit, catch one ofthe live bands on stage, or strike up a conversation with a famous face in thecrowd. Crankworx is many things, but most of it’s unpredictable. The nextcouple of pages capture some highlights from within the Whistler Village.

Customize: Slopestyle star Cam McCaul runs his Saint shiftlever mounted on the downtube to keep it from cluttering up hishandlebar, and he has one less cable to get in the way forbarspins.

Desert: Shimanoheld the SaintDeep SummerPhoto Challengeduring Crankworx.The cupcake eat-ing challengekilled time whilethe judges scoredthe photo entries.Racers SteveSmith (right) andBrian Lopes (nextto Smith) can eatabout as fast asthey ride.


Sideshow: Ryan Leech is one of the world’s best trials riders, andhis exhibitions in Whistler Village have become a staple duringCrankworx.

Going up: The beauty of Crankworx isthat while all of the action is going, onriders can hit the mountain for a dayfull of downhill runs. You never knowwho will end up sitting next to you onthe chairlift. (Left to right: RicheySchley, Wade Simmons and BrysonMartin Jr.)

What is it?: Cruising the pits of Crankworx alwaysreveals some prototype bikes and components. Wespotted this new brake from Avid, and it appears to bea bit of a hybrid between their Elixir and Code brakes,and geared toward long-travel bikes.

Winning style: Sure, Sam Hill (right) won theCanadian Open Downhill, but his best showingof the weekend was at the Troy Lee D3 party.Sam and his mechanic, Jacy Shumilak, showoff some sport jacket style.

Showstopper: The Troy LeeDesigns D3 helmet was theguest of honor.

Around the clock: Whistler has the world’s best mountainbike park, but when the sun goes down, the fun doesn’tend in the Village. Check out Troy Lee Design’s D3 helmetintroduction party at the Savage Beagle Lounge.

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Nice touch: Rocky’s Flatline is loaded with unique com-ponents, like this exclusive direct-mount stem fromRace Face.

Prototype: D’Arcy O’Connor is the RockyMountain engineer behind the new race-orientedFlatline. His personal rig features a trick prototypefloating rear brake Rocky is experimenting with.

World Cup ready: You may have spotted RockyMountain’s 2010 Flatline World Cup race bike underTeam Maxxis racers Luke Strobel and Sabrina Jonnier.We had the chance to ride the bike on the trails ofPemberton, about 30 minutes outside of Whistler. TheWorld Cup model shown here will sell for $5999.

Built to pin it: TheFlatline World Cup isequipped with a FoxShox RC4 shock anda Shimano Saint dri-vetrain. The FlatlineWC is race-ready offthe showroom floor.


Two versions: The RockyFlatline Pro is a more wallet-friendly downhill rig. With ARockShox Boxxer Team forkand Vivid shock, the $3999Flatline Pro is the best dealgoing in downhill racing.

Custom tuning:SRAM’s GregHerbold throwsthe horns atBrandonSemenuk’s Trekslopestyle bike.Brandon runs atime-trial-stylefriction shifter onthe downtube.

M.C. Tippie: North Shore legend BrettTippie was on the scene throughoutCrankworx. His hyper-energetic personalitywas entertaining for sure.

Big mountain style: Over the years,these guys’ talents have graced thepages of MBA on many occasions.From left: legendary rider and RockyMountain employee Wade Simmons,iconic photographer Sterling Lorence,and big mountain rider ThomasVanderham. ❏

Hayes HFX 9 XC Disc Brake

$4998msrp $150

Alligator PTFE Galvanized Cable

$398msrp $7Sram X.7 Rear

Derailleur ‘09

$4498msrp $60

Sun Ringle Octane Mag Pedal

$4498msrp $103

Wellgo WAM-M3 Pedals

$2698msrp $80

Sette Air 2 Mini Pump with Auto Head

$598msrp $20

Avid BB7 Disc Brake ‘09

$3998msrp $110

Sram X.9 Rear Derailleur ‘09

$6498msrp $85

Sram X.9 Trigger Shifters ‘09

$7998msrp $105

Price Point Specialized Water Bottle

$249msrp $7

Avid FR5 Brake Levers ‘09

$1198msrp $14

Avid Single Digit 7 Brake ‘09

$1998msrp $40

Alligator Avid Semi Metallic Disc Brake Pads w/ Springs

$798msrp $15

Sram PG 990 Cass. 9-Spd ‘09

$6498msrp $99

Truvativ Stylo 1.1 Crankset ‘09

$10998msrp $200

Alligator I-Wave Rotor

$1298msrp $50

Shimano XT M765 Pre-Bled Brake Kit w/o Rotors

$16998msrp $460

$498msrp $15

Sette Blade Grips

$1498msrp $30Easton EA30

Handlebar ‘08

Sun Ringle ZuZu Pedals

$3498msrp $57 Time ATAC XS Mtn

Clipless Pedals

$14998msrp $235

Avid Juicy 7 Disc Brake 160mm ‘09

$11498msrp $250

Wellgo W-71 Pedals

$2498msrp $50

Hutchinson Python New Generation Air Light Tire

$2198msrp $50

Selle Italia Shiver Gel Flow Saddle

$4498msrp $85

Sram X.7 Trigger Shifters ‘09

$4698msrp $67

WTB ProwlerXT Tire

$2698msrp $60

Sette Glyde Trainer

$6498msrp $150

Mavic Crossmax ST Wheelset ‘09

$34998msrp $700

WTB Speed V Pro Gel Saddle

$3498msrp $50

Sette Amp Saddle

$1998msrp $70

Time ATAC Alium Pedals $5998

msrp $80

Sette Venn Alloy Seatpost

$998msrp $35

Crank Brothers Egg Beater SL Pedals

$8998msrp $140

Hayes Stroker Carbon V6 Disc Brake

$13998msrp $210

Race Face Evolve XC X Crankset

$12998msrp $230

Sette Air 2 ST-069 Floor Pump

$1298msrp $35

Race Face Evolve Single Speed Crankset

$12498msrp $200

$1798msrp $40Sette XLR Low

Riser Handlebar

Truvativ Hussefelt Stem ‘09

$1798msrp $25

Axo Chute Bang Tango Full Face Helmet

$5998msrp $300

Bell Venture Helmet ‘08

$3198msrp $40

Titec El Norte Gold Stem

$1498msrp $50

$2198msrp $40

Panaracer Fire XC Pro Tire

Mavic Crosstrail Wheelset ‘09

$26998msrp $425

TruvativStylo 3.3 Team

Crankset ‘09

IRCMythos XC II Racing Tire

$1498msrp $50

WTB Speed V

Comp Saddle

Sette Type-S

Lock-On Grips$798

msrp $30GiroAthlon Helmet ‘09$8998

msrp $130

$11498msrp $190

$2698msrp $40

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Sette Quantum-X v.2.0 Cyclo-Computer

$998msrp $35

Sette Max Flopak Hydration System 100oz

$2498msrp $70

Axo Ride Full Finger Gloves

$1298msrp $20

Sette Element MTB Shoes

$4698msrp $100

Fox Forx 32 F-Series RLC ‘09

$57998msrp $700

Sette Torx ST-21 Tool Kit - 21 Tools

$4498msrp $100

Sette Torx 21 Function Multi Tool

$998msrp $30

Sette ST-7 DLX Foldable Workstand

$8998msrp $180

Fox Sergeant Short ‘09

$5498msrp $100

Sette Bike Hitch-It

$798msrp $18

Sette Slik Pak

$798msrp $20

Sette Reken Alloy Frame

$7998msrp $250

AXO Torque Glove

$1498msrp $30

Sette Signature Glove

$1298msrp $30

Sette Stellar F28 HRM

$2998msrp $150

Sette ST-307F Glo Light(front or rear)

$498msrp $12

Marzocchi 22 R ‘09

$11998msrp $179

Sette Torx ST-791 Chain Scrubber

$998msrp $20

Sette Torx St-27 Hol-lowtech II BB Tool

$1298msrp $18

Sette Outlaw Shoe

$3998msrp $80

Rockshox Reba 29er Race ‘08

$38998msrp $613

Sette Eyewear Vexx Fuse

$1798msrp $45

Fox Ranger Short ‘09

$3998msrp $70

Adidas Trail CP Storm Jacket

$4498msrp $130

Oakley Division 75 Jersey

$4998msrp $110

Camelbak Scorpion

$3498msrp $60

New World Disorder Box Set - 1-3 w/bonus DVD

$798msrp $45

Sram PC 971 Chain

w/ Power Link ‘09

$1798msrp $32

Sram x.9 Trigger Shifters

w/ X.9 Rear Der. COMBO ‘09

$14498msrp $190 Cane Creek

S3 Headset $2998msrp $50

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Old tricks: The swim-ride-rungang has used the steeperseat tube geometry trick foryears. Does it translate as wellto the dirt?


MBA est

A Lot Of Trail Riding AttitudeThe Rocky Mountain Altitude 90 RSL

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?You are paying a big admission price for the Altitude 90

RSL, so Rocky Mountain didn’t cheap out on the compo-nents. From the fork with the 15QR axle to the Mavicwheelset, there isn’t a component that needs to be upgraded.The Formula R1 brakes are hard not to linger over. There isno wasted material in the tiny reservoir/lever assembly, andthe braided steel hoses and banjo attachments to the caliperslook like team-issue items. The frame is made in Taiwan,but the bike is assembled in Canada.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?Ergonomics: Don’t expect to be hitting your knees on the

handlebar due to Rocky Mountain’s Straight-Up Geometry. Itis nowhere near that exaggerated. You’ll find yourself in an

upright riding position without feeling cramped. Thefront end sits high enough that some riders may wantto invert the stem to lower the bar. The standoverclearance is excellent for a bike with this muchtravel, and our test bike was size large to boot.Moving out: The Altitude 90 RSL feels like a race

bike getting up to speed. The rear suspension pivotson oversized bearings, and the two-piece rockerseems to rival the rigidity of one-piece units. There

is nothing lost in the translation. You put inthe wattage and the bike responds

with forward momentum.Triathletes have used the steep-

er seat tube geometry trick foryears, and in terms of puttingthe power down, theAltitude 90 RSL gets itdone.

Cornering: Racing DNAis still evident when you hitthe twisties. The bike islight on its feet and allows

the rider to make quick linechoices without paying the

price in stability. The bike lovesto be powered out of the corners,

and the brakes’ performance makesriding deep into corners just as much fun.

Climbing: This thing climbs like a billy goat. We foundourselves staying in the saddle longer and pushing gears thatwould make Geoff Kabush proud. The shock is valved exclu-sively for Rocky Mountain, and it is fitted with an extra-volume air canister. The result is a rear suspension that canbe ridden most of the time without the ProPedal featureengaged. We only flipped the blue lever on smooth, longclimbs or on pavement.In the rough: There are no communication issues

between Rocky Mountain and Fox Racing Shox. They did agreat job of dialing the suspension components to the bike’ssuspension design and frame construction. The bike soaksup the rough and allows the rider to concentrate on riding.Descending: The Straight-Up Geometry does not equal

straight-over-the-bars. Rider weight is positioned slightly for-ward, so sliding back on the slim Fizik Gobi XM saddle is a

C anada’s Rocky Mountain Bicycles doesn’t leave manystones unturned when it comes to cross-countrybikes. They have defined four cross-country cate-

gories: cross-country race, cross-country performance, cross-country marathon and super cross-country. Bikes range intravel from 3.9 inches to 5.9 inches. Our Altitude 90 RSLfalls into the marathon slot with 5.5 inches of travel.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?The Altitude 90 RSL is designed for riders who need a

good amount of travel to navigate tough trails covered inrocks, roots, dips and steps. This high-priced trailbike islight enough and plenty quick enough to be considered forracing endurance events.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?The Altitude 90 RSL’s frame and seat stays are crafted

from carbon fiber, while the more ding-susceptible chain-stays are tubes made from aluminum. The frame has asteep, 76-degree seat tube angle that Rocky Mountain hasdubbed their Straight-Up Geometry. They feel that movingthe rider slightly forward results in better power delivery(due to the rider’s position over the cranks) and more com-fort.

The Altitude 70 RSL has the same carbon frame as theAltitude 90 RSL (with a split downtube to cradle the shockand internal rear-derailleur routing), but dropping to theAltitude 70 gets you an aluminum frame with similargeometry and a slightly different rear-suspension design. Inother words, our ride observations will apply to theAltitude 90 RSL and the Altitude 70 RSL, but the modelsbelow this point may deliver different ride characteristics.

simple and necessary maneuver. The brakes back up the restof the bike’s performance and never faded or made weirdnoises.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?Our bike suffered from chain suck issues while dropping

from the middle to the granny gear. However, it neverjammed the chain into the frame or chainstay, because thesound of the miss-directed chain alerted the rider to back offand get it back on track. In fairness, our test bike was usedwhen delivered, so this problem may have been caused bysomething that happened before we got it.

We have to mention this, too, although it may be coinci-dence. One of the wrecking crew strained his back whileseated during a hard effort on a steep climb. The Straight-UpGeometry? Maybe. The new position may require someadjustments for riders used to more relaxed geometry.

BUYING ADVICEIf you need more travel for the trails you ride, but don’t

want to give up the performance of a shorter travel trailbike,the Altitude 90 RSL fits the bill. It gives you lots of travelwhile remaining a quick and fun bike to ride. And while$5000 isn’t small change, it is a grand less than many high-performance carbon fiber trailbikes. The Altitude 90 RSLmay be the biggest sleeper of 2009. ❑ Move to the rear: The Altitude’s forward rider position didn’t

cause much trepidation when dropping off or into something.Move back and let the suspension do its job.

Riding Attitude

Altitude attitude: (clockwise from top) Pivot bearings are well-sealed from the elements, the Formula brakes continue toimpress, Race Face cranks keep the weight off, and there’s avery unique seatpost clamp.

PriceCountry of originWeightHotlineSize testedBottom bracket heightChainstay lengthTop tube lengthHead tube angleSeat tube angleStandover heightWheelbaseSuspension travel (front)Suspension travel (rear)Frame materialForkShockRimsTiresHubsBrakesBrake leversCranksetShiftersHandlebarFront derailleurRear derailleurChainringsCassettePedals

$5000Canada27.1 pounds(800) 663-251219" (large)13.5"16.9"23.25"69°76°29.5"45"5.5"5.5"Carbon fiberFox 32 Float RLCFox Float RP23 XVMavic CrossMax SLRHutchinson Python (2.3")Mavic CrossMax SLRFormula R1Formula R1Race Face NextShimano XTR RapidfireRace Face Next XC (26")Shimano XTShimano XTRRace Face (44/32/22)Shimano XT (11-34)None (weighed with Shimano XTR)

ROCKY MOUNTAINALTITUDE 90 RSL

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Taking NothingFor GrantedWhy the world needsmore Carol Potters

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MBARIDERSWHOInspire

T his is the first time we’vefeatured someone who is not arider in our “Riders Who

Inspire” series. But once you get toknow Carol Potter, you’ll understandwhy she is as deserving as any rider wehave featured to date.

As the executive director of ParkCity, Utah’s, Mountain TrailFoundation, Carol Potter has her workcut out for her. The Mountain TrailsFoundation was established to educatepeople on land use planning and con-servation practices, particularly withrespect to multi-use trails and trail sys-tems. The foundation is responsible forimprovements to Park City’s trail sys-tem through signage, trail constructionand maintenance. If that isn’t enough,she helps with acquisition and admi-nistration of trail easements by publicagencies, an essential service in an areawhere the majority of the surroundingmountains are privately owned.

Carol has worked for the MountainTrail Foundation for six years andserved ten years before that with asimilar foundation in Michigan. “I canremember when seven people wouldattend a trail-planning conference,”laughs Carol. “Today, 700 people showup.” Her expertise is writing proposalsfor grants that will secure the budget tobuild and maintain her beloved ParkCity trail network. Carol is an equalopportunity grant writer. She doesn’tcare if the grants come from the federalgovernment, state government or pri-vate organizations like IMBA or theAmerican Hiking Alliance. Everypenny helps to maintain the existingtrail network and to add miles of newtrails every year.

Carol is the first to admit that a lotof hard work was done before shejoined the Mountain TrailFoundation. “Park City passed anordinance over 17 years ago thatrequired new developments to put intrails and link existing trails,”

explains Carol about a communitythat always put a high priority ontheir trail network.

“This is a very social community,and that spirit extends to the trails,”says Carol. “Park City has alwaysbeen trail friendly, and we continueto grow our trail network. It is a great

time for trails.”What does Carol say to others look-

ing to experience the trail success thatPark City has enjoyed? “I have somuch fun connecting with other trailgroups,” explains Carol. “Drop me ane-mail at [email protected], andwe’ll compare notes.” ❑

DETAILS:

V-1 CARBON170g

• Lightweight at 170g.

• Intended for XC and trail bike applications.

• Low 19mm rise keeps the front end low with

long travel forks.

• 685mm (27”) width is perfect for trail bikes.

• Reinforced and textured clamping area.

• Bar end compatible with reinforced brake

clamp area.

SUNLINERACING.COMVisit sunlineracing.com or call 661-705-3643

V-ONE CARBON

SUNLINE V-1 Handlebars

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I t is not too early to start thinking about all the mountain bikers onyour Christmas gift list, and we can help you get started right now.The MBA wrecking crew put their helmets together and came up

with a list of gift ideas that we know any mountain biker would love tofind under the tree on Christmas morning.

Some ideas will set you back a pretty penny, while other ideas won’tding your wallet at all, and these inexpensive gifts might be the mostappreciated of the season.

So forget about giving a gaudy tie or a Denny’s gift certificate. Give agift that shows the mountain bikers on your list that you really care.Here are a few ideas to get you in the spirit.

Christmas OnThe Mountain

Ideas for the mountain biker on your list

Personalized grips: This is the coolest yule-tide gift idea of the year. You already knowthat Lizard Skins offers their Lock-On grips($27.50) in a bunch of styles and colors. Aset of grips would be a great gift, but youcan do better. Sweeten the deal by havingyour friend’s name laser etched on the Lock-On ring. Lizard Skins only charges $2.99 forthis customization, and they turn aroundcustom orders fast. Just make sure youspell your friend’s name correctly. LizardSkins at (801) 785-7546.

Miles of sweet singletrack: Park City,Utah, offers miles of amazing single-track riding. The $17.99 Park City’sPrime Cuts trail guide book by CharlieSturgis and Mark Fischer is the bestway to get the most out of your nextvisit to the area. The book is sized to fitinto a hydration pack and printed onthick, water-resistant paper. Give thisbook to a riding buddy with a not-so-subtle suggestion that a road trip needsto be planned. Get Prime Cuts fromWhite Pine Touring at (888) 649-8710.

Stay inflated: What self-respecting mountainbiker doesn’t need a stash of tubes? Okay,smart guy, one who rides tubeless tires. Eitherway, you can make both types of riders’ eyeslight up on Christmas. Give the tube guy a fewtubes and the tubeless guy a bottle of NoTubestire sealant. Both products are readily availableat your local bike shop.

Feet covers: There is no such thing as too many riding socks, and it isalmost as much fun to give socks as it is to receive them. We like togive a color or print that we would never buy for ourselves. It alwaysmakes for a great ride when your buddy shows up with the pink flyingpig socks on. Of course, you can play it safe and buy earth tones.Boring. Don’t buy white socks. Those are for roadies. SockGuy, (760)804-1344, makes hundreds of fun designs.

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Lifesaver: They areactually called shells,but we call these thinjackets lifesavers.They weigh next tonothing and can bestuffed into a sun-glass pouch (we’veseen Johnny Tomacdo it). Where theyturn into lifesavers ison the ride whereyou bonk, get caughtin a storm or havethe temps dropfaster than expected.These shells offergreat protection fortheir size and hold injust enough bodywarmth to get youhome.

Doc in a bag: The $11 Adventure Medical Kits’ Ultralight .3first aid kit settles the national healthcare debate with a mix

of ten bandages, dressing gauze, safety pins, After Bitewipes, antihistamine, ibuprofen, antiseptic wipes, tape andantibiotic ointment. The kits are available in bike shops orby calling (510) 261-7414. Perfect for the rider on your list

who is a little wild.

For bad times: The $25Adventure Medical Kits’ S.O.L.(Survive Outdoors Longer)Survival Pak takes critical survivalitems and packages them in anultralight, waterproof drybag. TheS.O.L. Survival Kit includes acompass, mini rescue flash signalmirror, slim rescue howler whistle,waterproof and windproof match-es, waterproof Tinder Quik,Heatsheets blanket, fishing kitand duct tape. Whoever gets thispresent will remember you fondlyif they ever have to use it.

82 www.mbaction.com

Gift Guide

MBA subscription: This issue offers our lowest subscription price of the year. You can’tgo wrong. You can buy a year’s worth of Mountain Bike Action (that’s 12 issues) forabout the same price you pay for nine days of home Internet service. Operators arestanding by at (800) 767-0345, or order at www.mbaction.com. If your buddy alreadyhas a subscription, we’ll just add your gift and extend it.

Shop rags: Every riderneeds a shop rag with-in reach of his bikestand, so how comethere is never onearound? Your friendswill think of you everytime they get greaseon their fingers if youwrap up a bunch ofshop rags and putthem under the tree.You can find rag bun-dles at any auto supplystore. Mom, this giftwill also stop the mys-terious disappearanceof bathroom towelsand washcloths fromthe linen cabinet.

Toe straps: Even ifthe lucky recipient ofyour generosity doesn’t usetoe straps on his pedals because he uses clipless pedals,that doesn’t mean the straps won’t be accepted with enthu-siasm. Toe straps are used for a number of tasks, includingsecuring wheels to bike racks, holding the rear suspensionwhen you remove the shock or adding strength to a seatpack or headlight battery. In a pinch, you can always usethem for handcuffing the guy you catch trying to break intocars at the trailhead.

Donate labor: If money is tight this Christmas,offer something more personal. Why not pre-sent a gift certificate to a riding friend statingthat you will change and pump up X number offlat tires for the recipient. Your gift certificatecan be used at home or on the trail. The certifi-cate only covers the labor. Your buddy has tosupply the tube.

Fast inflate: Pumping up flat tires onthe trail is a real buzz kill. The fastestway to get going again is a CO2 blast,but most riders only carry a pumpbecause it costs about $3.70 to shootoff a CO2. Well, it doesn’t cost a dimefor the rider who gets a GenuineInnovation’s $19.99 Air Chuck SL forChristmas. Even if you still carry apump, the Air Chuck is there to getyou going fast. You can find the AirChuck SL and extra CO2 cartridges atjust about any bike shop.

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Bike detailing: Nobody likes to do it,but everybody likes the result—a bikethat looks clean and race-ready beforean important ride. Your gift will be a giftcertificate promising to clean and polisha friend’s bike.

Chain lube: There is not a mountainbike on the trail that doesn’t need itschain lubed occasionally. A bottle willlast all season. Be safe and stick with alube that has been formulated formountain bikers (it will say so on thebottle). The key is not putting on toomuch of the stuff.

84 www.mbaction.com

Gift GuideJoin the ranks: If there is one organization that doesthe most good for mountain bikers (other than PizzaHut), it is the International Mountain BicyclingAssociation, or IMBA. They are the collective strengthof all mountain bikers and represent us from the hallsof Congress to the conference rooms of city hall.They teach riders to build and care for trails and giveus all a good reputation to live up to. Membershipsstart at $20 (youth and student) and go up to $1000(the Singletrack Society). Membership is a reallythoughtful gift to bestow on any mountain biker. Callthem toll free at (888) 442-4622.

Smooth gift: Give the gift of smooth shifting. Acouple of derailleur cables to replace the dirty andfrayed cables that have lost their crispness are agreat present/upgrade. Throw in cable nipples anddonuts. Cable nipples slide on the end of freshly cutcables, get crimped and eliminate the possibility ofcables fraying. They’re cheap, small and super-essential. Cable donuts are tiny rubber O-rings thatslide onto cables to keep them from hitting thebike’s frame tubes.

Skinny gift: Do you know that Mountain Bike Actionhas a brother? Just about every mountain biker weknow has a road bike and would enjoy the latest newson new bikes, trick carbon fiber wheels and whatLance Armstrong has for breakfast. A subscription toRoad Bike Action is a gift that keeps on giving all year-long. Call (800) 767-0345 or visit www.mbaction.comto order.

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Deck the halls: Earth Studio in Moab,Utah, offers a wide selection of moun-tain bike Christmas tree decorations.Prices range from $16.95 to $22. Callthem at (800) 463-4064 or visit theirwebsite. ❏

86 www.mbaction.com

MBA est

Priced To FlySpecialized’s P.2 jump bike

tomized Alex rims. The three-piece chromoly cranks workin cooperation with a polycarbonate bash guard and ISCG-mounted chain guide.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?Ergonomics: The P.2’s steep, sloping top tube is no acci-

dent. The frame is designed so riders can throw down tricksand easily flick the bike around. The short, 40-millimeterSpecialized Aggro stem and two-inch-rise handlebar speak tothe P.2’s stunt riding build.Pedaling: On a jump bike, you need enough gearing to get

yourself rolling before a rhythm section or to acceleratequickly before a stair gap or wall ride when street riding.The P.2’s chromoly Fuse cranks are stiff and built to take a

beating. The eight-speed drivetrain is a good choice for ajump-specific bike, as climbing ability isn’t a concern.

When dirt jumping or riding in a skatepark, youwant minimal rolling resistance, because the terrainis often groomed dirt or concrete. The SpecializedRhythm Lite Control tires have just enough traction

for riding off-road and are perfect for thisapplication.

Jumping: Mountain bikes builtfor dirt jumping differ from BMX

bikes designed for the sameduty in that mountain bikes

have bigger wheels andgears, allowing them to riderougher trails and get tolocations BMX bikes can-not. Hence, the reason forthe suspension fork. Onaverage, suspension perfor-

mance isn’t as sophisticatedin dirt jumping as it is in trail

riding or downhill, and forkslike the 3.1-inch travel

Marzocchi DJ2 are perfect for thejob. The coil-sprung DJ2 has minimal

adjustments and felt pretty good out of the box.Riders looking for an even stiffer feel can utilize the airassist valve atop the right fork leg. The DJ2 doesn’t use a 20-millimeter thru-axle like many of the top jump-specific slid-ers, however Specialized does use a 3/8-inch BMX-style axlefor increased robustness over a standard quick-release. Therear end of the bike employs that same axle.Manualing: Getting the front wheel off the ground, or

manualing, is not only a maneuver in its own right, but thecatalyst for several tricks. The short, 15.5-inch chainstaysmake shifting your weight rearward virtually effortless. Likethe bunny hop, learning to manual will open up an entirelynew world for a rider and improve his overall bike handlingability.Cornering: With steep angles intended for quick maneu-

verability, the P.2 handles like a dual-slalom racer when rid-den on a hardpacked pumptrack. The Rhythm tires haveminimal tread, so you can’t push too hard in the corners,but they are still capable of carving turns. The short chain-stays, 3.1-inch-travel fork and 69-degree head angle keep therider’s weight centered. And, when riding aggressively,

I n developing their Progressive (P. bikes) bike line,Specialized’s mission was to design a bike that was athome dirt jumping or street riding. Although the bike

looks simple when compared to a full-suspension rig, itrequires specific engineering to develop a bike that’s versa-tile, lightweight and can handle the rigors of daily abuse.Specialized has four P. bikes in their line, priced from $940to $1650.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?A dirt-jump-specific bike is designed for riders who

require geometry and components specifically intended forlaunching dirt jumps, riding urban terrain and sessioning

skateparks. These frames share geometry traits racers lookfor in a dual-slalom or 4-Cross bike, such as short chainstaysand low bottom brackets and standover heights, so it is not astretch to see the P. bikes used in this type of competition.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?Specialized no longer sells the P. bikes in two sizes (short

and long); the only size available now is the previous “long”frame. The aluminum P.2 features a double-butted down-tube, forged head tube, and horizontal dropouts with hard-ware for a single-speed or cassette setup.

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?The purpose-built P.2 features a coil-sprung, 3.1-inch-trav-

el Marzocchi DJ2 fork, Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disc brakeswith a six-inch front rotor and a five-inch rear rotor.SRAM’s X.5 short cage rear derailleur and SRAM X.4 eight-speed trigger handle shifting duties. The Specialized RhythmLite Control tires are designed specifically for dirt jumpingand street riding and are mounted to Specialized’s cus-

Perfect form: TheSpecialized P.2 is built to fly.

The dialed geometry andcomfortable frame designgives pilots confidence tohave fun while sending it.


simply shifting weight forward gives the Marzocchi-sprungfront end enough traction to hook up when you’re lappingyour friends on the pumptrack.Everything else: Climbing, descending and singletrack

riding are not in the P.2’s vocabulary. If you need yourmountain bike to do more than jump or handle anoccasional 4-Cross, Specialized makes the P.All Mountainfor you.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?We tweaked the Alex wheels quickly, which can be expected

with a bike that sees as much abuse as the P. bike. One of theonly upgrades we’d recommend would be a tougher set ofwheels—once the Alex hoops give up.

Riders looking to run the P.2 in the single-speed configura-tion would likely be able to use the built-in chain tensioner onthe rear dropouts and ditch the bulky bashguard.

BUYING ADVICEWhether it’s the flagship model in the line or a more afford-

able offering, Specialized pays attention to detail. Although theP.2 isn’t the premier jumper in the line, it’s a more than capa-ble ride that’s built to rip up local trails, neighborhood streetsand skateparks. The dialed geometry and a proven componentspec make the $1350 Specialized P.2 a steal. ❑

88 www.mbaction.com

Corner pocket: With tight-steering geometry and short chain-stays, the P.2 whips through jump trails. The fast-rollingSpecialized Rhythm Lite tires are ideal for hardpacked terrain.

Fly

SPECIALIZED P.2PriceCountry of originWeightHotlineFrame testedBottom bracket heightChainstay lengthTop tube lengthHead tube angleSeat tube angleStandover heightWheelbaseSuspension travel (front)Suspension travel (rear)Frame materialForkShockRimsTiresHubsBrakesBrakes LeversCranksetShiftersHandlebarFront derailleurRear derailleurChainringsCassettePedals

$1350Taiwan32.5 pounds(877) 808-8154One size only11.8"15.5"22.5"69°71°26.5"41.7"3.1"NoneAluminumMarzocchi DJ2NoneSpecialized/Alex P.Disc AMSpecialized Rhythm LiteSpecialized forged, HiLoAvid Juicy 3 SLAvid Juicy 3 SLFuse tubular chromolySRAM X.4Specialized alloy riser (27")Poly bashguardSRAM X.5Fuse 34-TSRAM PG-830 (11-28)Alloy platform

Built to bash: Designed for dirt jumping, the Specialized P.2is equipped with burly chromoly cranks, a stout 40-millimeterstem and gold Specialized HiLo Hubs.

1pg_mba_rba_combo_ad.indd 1 9/30/09 2:50:31 PM

1.909.947.2100local or international

or toll free 1.888.880.3403 or www.JensonUSA.com

Azonic O’Neal Fury Full Face ‘08 Helmet(S, M, L) HE302G04 MSRP $89.99

Nema Revolver JerseyCarbon/ Red S-XXLJE281B00 MSRP$64.99

Nema Revolver ShortCarbon/ Red S-XXLSP281B00 MSRP$104.99

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Disclaimer* Quantities on some items may be limited - shop early for best selection. Pricing may vary between our magazine ads, catalogs, showroom,retail stores, and website. Currency fluctuations, manufacturer price increases, model year changes, and other factors may cause our costs to change. JensonUSA reserves the right to modify our prices at any time without notice. Prices listed do not include shipping. Errors in product descriptions, weights, prices, or photography are unintentional and subject to correction. Customer bears the cost of return shipping for exchanges/returns unless Jenson USA has made a shipping error. Please call for a return authorization number. Jenson USA strives to offer the best prices on every item we sell. We will price match any nationally advertised price - just give us the details at the time of your order. The identical item (size, color, model year) must be in stock at the time your order is placed. This does not include items which are on sale/clearance/blowout. Price match may not be combined with any other offers. * All Shimano logos and brands are the exclusive property of Shimano American Corporation.

EASTON Monkey Lite XC Riser Bar 08Featuring CNT (carbon nano tube) technology, making this bar light and strong. 25.4 or 31.8, Low or High-Rise.HB402A00 MSRP $120

Shimano LX M580 9SP Trigger ShiftersThese LX RapidFire levers are ideal for almost every rider.SL302A00MSRP $79.99

Shimano LX M581 Rear DerailleurThis is a traditionally-sprung (i.e. not Rapid Rise) rear derailleur designed to complement Trigger shifters.RD309A01 MSRP $80

Shimano LX FC-M582 Cranksetwith Bottom BracketAmazing upgrade for just about any bike! 170 or 175mm, 44-32-22CR303A00MSRP $189.99

s is a traditionaallly-sprung (i.e. not pm

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Easton EC70 CarbonSeatpost ‘08A proven design, year after year. Space age carbon fiber construction! 27.2, 30.9, 31.6SE402A01 MSRP $130

RockShox Reba Team ‘09 ForkWhite 100mm, Disc Only, 26”, w/PushlocFK293A07 MSRP$724

Marzocchi 66 RC3 Fork ‘09Metalic Grey, 180mm, RC3FK291A16MSRP $999

Marzocchi 55 ATA Fork ‘09Black, 120-160mm, ATAFK291A09MSRP $599

RockGardn Warbird HelmetS-XXLHE283G03 MSRP $79.99

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Vredestein Black Panther Folding Tire26x2.0 or 2.35 FoldingTI283A09MSRP $55.95

RaceFace Evolve XC DH Crankset ‘08Silver, Two Rings with bashgaurd. 170 or 175mmCR302A06MSRP $195

KHS DJ200 Frame 2005GreyFR284A00MSRP $299

KHS DJ200 Frame 2005GreyFR284A00MSRP $299

SixSixOne Evolution Helmet(M or L) HE302G07 MSRP $149.95

Marzocchi 44 TST2 ‘09 ForkBlack, 120mm, TST2 FK291A04 MSRP$369

Jamis Parker 1.0 ‘08 BikeSludge Color, S, M, LBI290B01 MSRP $1350

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Vredestein Bull Lock Folding Tire26x2.0 or 2.35 FoldingTI283A10MSRP $55.95

Vredestein Tiger Claw Folding Tire26x2.0 or 2.35 FoldingTI283A11MSRP $55.95

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Intense Edge Exdc Lite Tire26x2.35, Dual CompoundTI287A10MSRP $44.99

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Minewt.X2# 150 lumen’s of light output# 3:30-7:00 hours of run time# 3 light settings: High, Low, Flash LS306A04 MSRP $209.99

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Yeti ASR Alloy FrameOne of the best “bang for the buck” cross-country race frames you can buy. 3.89” of rear wheel travel using the Fox RP23 shock. Ano Black, Pink, Turqoise, White/Raw or Black/TurquoiseFR289B00MSRP $1830

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Rav X Beam X Lighting System * Halogen - 2.7 hours * LED - 9 hours * Together - 1.5 hoursLS282A01 MSRP $140

Spark 40 Bike ‘09Race-ready with 110mm travel.S, M, L, XLBI281B00msrp $2645

CR1 Comp Bike ‘09Perfect for racing, training, and/or group rides. Approximate weight 18.9 lbs.S, M, L, XLBI287C07 msrp $1950

Speedster S60 Bike ‘09a winner with its outstanding looks, ride quality and components.S, M, L, XLBI281C03 msrp $896.99

Bell Drop Helmet ‘09M, S, L Multiple Colors and designsHE290G10 MSRP $130

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ADS_1.indd 39 9/16/09 3:42:51 PM

Right after Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski won the 2009 Cross-Country National Championship,

we asked him if we could shoot him for“Inside.” To our surprise, he offered acounterproposal. He wanted us to showoff his new bike instead.

We weren’t so sure this was a gooddeal, until we saw the bike he was talk-ing about. It was a 2010, full-suspension,carbon fiber Superfly 100 29er. Jeremytold us that he liked this bike more thanthe hardtail 29er with which he had justwon his latest National Championship.He would have raced this bike, instead ofhis hardtail 29er, but he hadn’t put inenough saddle time to work out the per-fect setup. He assured us, however, thatthis was the bike he would be racingfrom this point on. Here it is:

1. 2010 Gary Fisher Superfly 100,full-OCLV carbon fiber frame, XLsize, 4.3 inches of rear-wheeltravel.

“This is definitely the best full-sus-pension bike I’ve ever ridden. It is anincredible bike for everything from all-day riding to World Cup-level racing.I’m amazed at its versatility. In manysituations, it climbs better than myhardtail, and on descents it is simplyincredible. The ABP rear pivot isabsolutely amazing at isolating pedal-ing input and keeping the rear wheelglued to the ground in cornering andunder braking. A big shout-out to BradP. and Big Ned at Fisher for a sweetbike.”

2. 2009 RockShox Reba 29er fork,with 3.9 inches of travel, hydraulicXX lockout, and tapered steer tube.

“I run my fork with lower negativepressure and faster rebound than manypeople, as I like the stiffer initial strokeand positive feel of faster rebound.”

3. Bontrager XR1 Team Edition(front) and Bontrager 29-0 (rear)tires. Both are tube-type tires set

up tubeless with Stan’s RacingSealant.

“The new Bontrager tires have madea big difference in switching over com-pletely to the 29-inch platform. They’realmost as light as 26-inch tires, and thetraction is so much better. The XR1and 29-0 are incredible in loose anddry conditions. For muddy races, I’llstep up to the more aggressive 29-3’s.”

4. Bontrager RXL stem, 90mmreach, 17-degree rise. Stem is runinverted to lower the bars.

5. Fizik Tundra seat, custom colorscheme.

6. Bontrager XXX Lite Carbon 29-inch wheels, with Bontrager cen-terlock hubs and DT Swiss center-lock adapters. Wheels were rebuiltwith DT Swiss Revolution spokes,saving 4.23 ounces compared to thestock wheelset.

7. RockShox Monarch three-posi-tion, custom-platform shock,currently tuned for 4.3 inches oftravel, set to the “B” tune option.

“I run the shock at 160 psi and usu-ally leave it in the mid-gate position forboth racing and training.”

8. Cane Creek Frustum ZS thread-less headset, 1-1/8-inch top bear-ing, 1.5-inch bottom.

9. Avid XX disc brakes.“The new Avid brakes are so power-

ful that I can always use a 140-millime-ter rotor, even on the big-wheeledbike.”

10. Bontrager XXX Lite CarbonRiser handlebar, seven-degreesweep.

“I like riser bars, not so much forthe additional height (I use a negativestem), but because the additionalsweep is so comfortable.”

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Inside TheInside ThePros’ BikesPros’ BikesInside ThePros’ BikesJHK’s new FisherSuperfly 100 29er

20. SRAM XX ten-speedcassette, 11-36T.

“The new XX rear cassette hasbeen a real game changer. Havingthe range of an 11-36 makes itpossible to both run a smaller bigring (with the 11) and climb steephills in the big ring (in the 36). Infact, there have been a few timesthat I’ve switched to a single ringin the front (a 36 on the 29er)because of the range on thiscassette.”

21. Truvativ BB90 ceramicbottom bracket bearings, as onthe Trek Madone.

22. Genuine Innovations BigAirCO2 tire inflator.


11. Bontrager RXL ACC(Aluminum Core Construction)Carbon seatpost, 13-inch length,with .8-inch setback.

12. ESI Racer’s Edge grips.“The ESI grips are amazingly light

and feel great, even on four- to five-hour rides.”

13. Truvativ XX 175-millimetercranks.

14. Truvativ chainrings, 39/26T.“Most people think you need a

large big ring for mountain biking.The reality is that a 39-tooth or evena 38-tooth big ring is enough forevery situation in cross-countryracing. The smaller big ring shiftsbetter in a 2x10 setup, and you’ll endup with a better chainline most of thetime, since you don’t need tocross-chain as much. The new XX

ring options are perfect for cross-country racing.”

15. Crankbrothers 4TiEggbeater pedals.

“The Eggbeaters are the best ped-als I’ve ever used. I never have toworry about clipping in, no matterhow muddy or nasty the conditionsare. Getting into the pedals at thestart is a snap.”

16. SRAM XX chain, 113 links.

17. SRAM XX ten-speed rearderailleur, with ceramic bear-ings in the pulleys.

18. SRAM Red road-bike frontderailleur. The derailleur ismounted to a custom adaptor,made by Jeremy’s mechanic.

19. SRAM XX shifters.

Weight: 22 poundsEstimated price: $9000

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M ost Cannondale Lefty (and Headshok Fatty) forkowners are terrified to service the thing, and wecan’t blame them. After all, the Lefty’s amazing

performance and rigidity is due partly to the 88 needlebearings (sets of 22 sandwiched between four races) thatassure the internals slide stiction-free inside the stanchiontube. Can you imagine opening your Lefty and having 88needle bearings fall onto the garage floor?

Well, it can’t happen. The truth is, the Lefty fork is ultra-easy to service. Headshok Product Manager Drew Hannadropped by the garage to take us through servicing andchecking the stack height on any Lefty fork.

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Tools you’ll need

• Allen wrench

• Shimano bottom bracket tool

• Tape measure in millimeters

• Cannondale Lubiplate (or similar

quality grease)

• A bike workstand is very helpful

• Air filter spray (optional)

• Zip-ties (maybe)

• Shock pump

Put the bike in a workstand with the front wheel off the ground.Release the air pressure via the Schrader valve at the bottom ofthe leg. Remove the fork’s lockout lever by loosening the two-millimeter Allen pinch bolt. Slide the lockout lever straight upand off the fork.

Loosen the outer collar using your Shimano bottom bracket tool. Thanks to Cannondale’s engineers for not designing hardwarethat would require special Cannondale tools to service. Slide the collar off.

Slide the fork’s damper out of the fork tube by lifting on the frontwheel. You can use a toe strap to hold the wheel up or simply useyour foot or leg to hold it up.

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Remove the half-moon split rings that areunder the upper cap. No tools necessary.You can pull them apart with your fingers.

Let go of the wheel so the damperslides back into the fork tube. Now,measure from the top of the threads (atthe top of the fork) to the bottom of thefork leg. The 110-millimeter travel Lefty(4.3 inches) should measure 700-mil-limeters, and the 140-millimeter travelLefty (5.5 inches) should measure 730-millimeters.

If your measurement comes up short, youneed to reset the fork’s bearing stackheight. It is easy. Lift the front wheel andtap it down a few times. Measure again,and repeat this set until you get the full700 or 730 measurement. The fork willmake a solid sound when the bearingsare at their proper height.

Loosen the clamp at the top of the forkboot (the rubber accordion thing). Justabove the fork boot is an air filter that we’llget to later. Your fork may have a zip-tieinstead of a clamp. If so, you need to cutit off.

Slide the fork boot down to reveal theultra-cool square fork leg.

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Slide the boot back up. Be sure to overlap with the air filter boot. Tighten theband clamp or replace the zip tie.

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The leg shouldn’t be very dirty if your forkboot is in good shape. If it is dirty, wipe itclean. Lift the wheel up and down a fewtimes and wipe it again.

Now the fun part. Wipe grease on the fourflat surfaces of the fork leg.

Above the fork boot is a rubber sleeve with a foam filter inside. A bonus tip is topull the clamp off the top of the sleeve to access the filter.

Pull the sleeve away and spray a small amount of air filter oil (available from anymotorcycle store).

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Lift the front wheel up with your foot and replace the two splitrings into the upper cap of the damper. These rings are markedso you can tell the top from the bottom.

Lower the wheel so the damper slides into the fork leg, andthread on the outer collar.

Hand-tighten the outer collar, and use the Shimano bottombracket tool to snug it one-quarter turn.

Replace the lockout lever to a position of your preference andtighten the pinch bolt.

Cannondale’s Drew Hanna made it look simple because it is.This Lefty service shouldn’t take you more than a half hour tocomplete.

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MB

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IPPER Introducing Alex Prochazka

racing,” says Alex. “I buckleddown a few weeks before theColorado Crankworx to focus onmy tricks, and I felt really good.It’s a shame to get injured in thefirst slopestyle of the year.

“I overshot a jump that I wasplanning on flipping out of,” Alexdescribes. “I had done it about athousand times before, but thistime I was in trouble and had toditch my bike. I landed on myknee, and that snapped my femurin half. I needed surgery to repairmy leg, and had a rod and somescrews put into it.

“I was told it would be 12weeks from when I broke itbefore I could even do anything.But, I’m already walking afterjust a month. I hope to be activeagain by December.”

Despite Alex’s serious injury,he has a positive outlook on hisrecovery and can’t wait to get

back out and do what he loves.Most mountain bikers, no matter

how old, can’t even comprehend howamazing it would be to live inWhistler. Alex has lived there hisentire life, and is well aware of hisincredible situation.

“My friends and I were just talkingabout this the other day,” laughs Alex.“We were saying how we know howgood we have it, because of the awe-some riding. Almost every day we’llride the mountain, then later in theday hit up the Air Dome to work ontricks, followed by cooling off at thelake in the Village.”

Although only 18 years old,Alex Prochazka (Alex Pro tohis friends) is no rookie to

elite-level mountain biking. We firstsaw Alex at the age of 15 when hequalified for the famous WhistlerCrankworx Slopestyle. Ever since, theWhistler native has not only pro-gressed as a slopestyle rider, but hasracked up an impressive résumé com-peting against that clock as a racer.

Ironically, just a week before wecaught up with Alex at this year’sCrankworx Festival in Whistler, hesuffered a serious injury in theCrankworx Colorado Slopestyle event.

“I had spent most of my summer

Aside from being a talented mountainbiker, Alex has several other interests.“In the winter I ski tons, and my dadand I are super into modifying dieseltrucks,” says Alex. “In my downtimefrom riding and racing, I’m taking class-es in Vancouver teaching me how towork on diesel engines.”

Although Alex is gaining recognitionas a remarkable mountain biker, hisfather was a major player in developingthe Whistler Mountain Bike Park intowhat it is today. “My dad, Tom ‘Pro’Prochazka, managed the WhistlerMountain Bike Park from 2001 to 2007,”Alex explains. “He focused on develop-ing trail features that are both progres-sive and safe. My dad has become inter-nationally known for his trail develop-ment and works for Gravity Logic as adesign manager. He travels the worldoffering advice to resorts looking todevelop their own summertime moun-tain bike parks.”

A member of Commencal’s YoungGuns mountain bike team, Alex is a tal-ented rider with remarkable versatility.Along with throwing backflips, he fin-ished 19th at the 2008 Junior DownhillWorld Championships and is a pastCanadian Junior Downhill NationalChampion. Growing up with the sport ofmountain biking virtually blowing uparound him, he credits several mountainbiking legends with helping him getwhere he is today.

“When I was a kid, it was guys likeWade Simmons, Richie Schley andDarren Berrecloth that I really looked upto,” explains Alex. “I feel fortunate tohave been given the opportunity to ridewith guys like that as I was growing up.”

Alex understands how serious his bro-ken leg is, but he’s focused and deter-mined to get back on the bike. “I’m notleery about jumping on the bike; I’mhungry!” boasts Alex. “In the past, I wasnever really hurt. I broke collarbonesand wrists, but nothing that everrequired surgery. That changed when Ihad this rod put in my leg, as it stays infor life!”

At 18 years old, Alex has a matureoutlook on his career in mountain bik-ing. “Riding is something I would like toturn into a longtime career, but I’m alsojust having a lot of fun on my bike andam doing good at it,” Alex explains.“This sport, meaning slopestyle, is so new,I’ll have to just play it by ear. I don’t reallyeven know what’s going to happen to thesport in the future. It’s blown up so muchin just the past five years, the future seemspretty exciting.” ❑

100 www.mbaction.com

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MBA est

All-Mountain AnimalDiamondback’s Scapegoat

the two-speed Truvativ HammerSchmidt FR transmissionthat’s bolted to ISCG mounts. The HammerSchmidt gear-box simulates the shift between a 22-and 36-toothchairing.

HOW DOES IT PERFORM?We’ve thrown a leg over all of Diamondback’s full-suspen-

sion bikes with their Knuckle Box four-bar suspension: thefive-inch-travel, cross-country-oriented Sortie; six-inch-travelMission trailbike; and now the six-inch-travel, burlier spec’dScapegoat.Ergonomics: Any bike with the HammerSchmidt trans-

mission has such a unique profile that it tells you it’s builtfor some seriously aggressive riding. In the saddle, theScapegoat has a mysteriously cramped cockpit, despite a 23-inch-long top tube. The 25-inch-wide handlebar is narrowfor today’s cross-country bikes, let alone a six-inch-travelpark bike, and is partly to blame for the awkward in-the-saddle feel. The bulky Diamondback Brics grips had to go—we opted for a thinner lock-on pair.Pedaling: Despite the black-diamond-trail component

spec, the Scapegoat is an impressive pedaling machine. Wefelt almost no unwanted suspension movement while mash-ing in the saddle with the Fox’s ProPedal lever engaged onthe DHX 5.0 air shock. The two-way ProPedal lever is easy

to reach, as the top of the shock is near the downward-sloping top tube.

The HammerSchmidt transmissionwill take some getting used to (as does

any two-ring setup), but onceyou’ve re-wired the shiftingmechanism of your brain, you’llbe using the transmission to youradvantage. TheHammerSchmidt’s gearing setupwill do you the most good whenthe chain is towards the middleof your cassette, otherwise the

drastic drop or rise of the frontchainring will send you into a furi-

ous rear-derailleur-shifting frenzy tofind the appropriate ratio for the terrain.

Climbing: Going uphill is when you reallytake advantage of the HammerSchmidt, as it takes you andthe Scapegoat to the top of steep climbs that other six-inch-travel bikes would have no hope of cresting. When you’vereached the limit of what your legs can dish out, use theleft-side thumb shifter to drop into HammerSchmidt’s lowgear and find a ratio that will get you to the top.

The 6.3-inch-travel fork requires you to exaggeratebending at the elbows to get your chest over the front of thebike to keep the front wheel from wandering.

HammerSchmidt’s planetary gear design has a lot ofmoving parts working together to deliver its unique gearratios. The result of the internal mechanism’s workings is asmall but noticeable amount of drag on the drivetrain whenpedaling in the 36-tooth gear, especially uphill. The drive-train drag is the trade-off for getting a 36.5-pound, long-travel rig up steep ascents.Descending: As impressed as we were with the

In 2007, Diamondback experimented with a prototypeall-mountain bike built to test the limits of their exist-ing six-inch-travel Mission trailbike (tested in our July

2009 issue), and the Scapegoat was born. The originalScapegoat debuted at the Interbike tradeshow that year,and after an onslaught of inquiries about the prototype,Diamondback decided to produce the bike for a limitedrun in 2009.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?The Scapegoat is an aggressive, black-diamond/park

bike designed for riders who attack technical descents buthave the fitness to pedal their six-inch-travel machinesuphill.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?The six-inch-travel Scapegoat shares the same

aluminum frame as the aforementioned

Diamondback Mission, except for a more robust, straight-gauge downtube for added strength.

Diamondback’s four-bar Knuckle Box suspension isdesigned so the wheel rate starts off linear and finishesslightly progressive. This results in improved small-bumpcompliance, more perceived travel and bottom-out protec-tion. Diamondback says their Knuckle Box pivot locationsresult in minimal chain growth and that pedal feedback isnon-existent.

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?On the front-end of the bike stands a 6.3-inch-travel Fox

36 Float RC2 fork mounted inside the 1.5-inch head tube.Instead of the Fox RP23 shock used on the Mission, theScapegoat features a Fox DHX 5.0 air shock with a piggy-back reservoir.

The most noticeable difference between the two bikes is

Tough going: Although a goodpedaling bike, the Scapegoat’sflexy rear end made navigating

rough descents a chore.



Spin and grin: Hauling the 32-pound, six-inch-travel Scapegoatup steep climbs isn’t the easiest feat. However, theHammerSchmidt transmission makes getting a burly bike to thetop of climbs possible.

AnimalScapegoat’s pedaling efficiency, we were equally disappoint-ed with the bike’s ability to handle the landscape it wasdesigned to tame. The fly in the ointment? Rear-end flex. Onsome high-speed rocky terrain, the sensation was so distractingthat we dismounted to make sure all of the pivot bolts weretight and the rear wheel wasn’t out of true. After several sec-tions of tough terrain worthy of the 6.3-inch-travel, 20-mil-limeter thru-axle Fox fork and Avid Code downhill brakes, weconcluded that the rear end of the bike felt as though it wastwisting, winding up and countering the steering input fromthe rider at the handlebar.Cornering: At low speeds, or on uphills, the Scapegoat is a

decent navigator of tight turns. However, once the trail opensup, changing direction at speed or braking hard to make adownhill switchback means that the flexy rear end once againgreatly impacts the bike’s handling.Braking: The Scapegoat’s Avid Code brakes were developed

on the World Cup circuit and have maximum-strength stop-ping power. The eight-inch front brake rotor and seven-inchrear rotor wouldn’t be overkill for a bike that can rip throughexpert-level downhill terrain; however, on the Scapegoatthey’re out of place. The Code’s resin brake pads are quiet andaren’t ultra-grabby, but they lack sufficient friction on the rotorfor keeping speed in check when you need it most. We recom-mend running at least one metallic brake pad up front.

TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?You won’t find a more versatile wheelset than the

Scapegoat’s Mavic CrossMax SX hoops. The SX hoops aretubeless ready, and we highly recommend converting.

Swapping the 25-inch-wide handlebar for a 27- or 28-incherwould reduce front-end twitchiness and give the Scapegoat abit more stability when pointed downhill. Price

Country of originWeightHotlineFrame testedBottom bracket heightChainstay lengthTop tube lengthHead tube angleSeat tube angleStandover heightWheelbaseSuspension travel (front)Suspension travel (rear)Frame materialForkShockRimsTiresHubsBrakesBrake LeversCranksetShiftersHandlebarFront derailleurRear derailleurChainringsCassettePedals

$5200Taiwan36.5 pounds(253) 395-1100Medium13.75"17.35"23"67°72°29.5"43.7"6.3"6"AluminumFox Shox 36 Float RC2Fox Shox DHX 5.0 AirMavic CrossMax SXWTB Prowler, WTB StoutMavic CrossMax SXAvid CodeAvid CodeTruvativ HammerSchmidt FRSRAM X.9Answer ProTaper OS (25")N/ASRAM X.0HammerSchmidt (36/22)SRAM PG990 (11-34)DB SoundAlloy

BUYING ADVICEWe’ve been fans of Diamondback’s Knuckle Box Sortie and

Mission (where we noticed frame flex and felt it was accept-able, and even welcome, for trail riding), but we can’t recom-mend the $5200 Scapegoat as a serious black-diamond bikewhen companies like Specialized, Scott and Trek (to name justa few) offer proven designs that can truly “do it all” by cruis-ing uphill and crushing descents. News is that the 2010Scapegoat is getting a complete redesign, so a bargain on the2009 model may not be a bargain after all. ❑

Got your Goat: The Truvativ HammerSchmidt transmissionis standard equipment. The Knuckle Box four-bar suspen-sion is designed to have a wheel rate that results inimproved small-bump compliance. You won’t find a tougher,or more reliable, all-mountain wheelset.

DIAMONDBACK SCAPEGOAT

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What every pedal rotation gets you or costs you

SRAM’s recent announcement of their XXGroup (MBA, September 2009) and rumors ofa similar ten-speed cassette being readied by

Shimano have generated a lot of excitement fromeveryone but single-speed riders. The SRAM XXGroup’s heart is a ten-cog cassette matched with atwo-ring crankset.

The ten-cog cassette turns the tables on conven-tional wisdom and opens a new world of gearingpossibilities for everyone from cross-country racersto 29er riders. Specialized has already paired theSRAM ten-cog cassette with a three-ring crankseton their 2010 S-Works Stumpjumper, and cross-country racers are ditching a chainring to return totrue “ten-speed” bikes.

The question riders are asking is, “What am Igaining and what am I giving up by stepping up toa ten-cog cassette?”

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CRUNCHING NUMBERSThe wrecking crew fired up the spreadsheet program to

find out (on paper) what those ten cogs bring to the moun-tain biking table. Now don’t call this a gear-inch compari-son, because it is not. What our calculations show is howfar your bike will move forward each time you complete acrank rotation based on the gear you have selected and thesize of the wheels on your bike.

We figure this forward movement by taking the wheelsize and multiplying it by the chainring. We then dividethis number by the rear cog. Next, we multiply this resultby pi (3.14159). Finally, we divide this last result by 12(because there are 12 inches in a foot) to get the distancetraveled after one crank rotation.

Example: Step one: 26 (wheel size) x 32 (chainring) = 832 Step two: 832 / 34 (cog) = 24.47Step three: 24.47 x 3.14159 (pi) = 76.87Step four: 76.87 / 12 (inches in a foot) = 6.4 feet

We have calculated the distance advanced with a com-mon trailbike using an 11-34 cassette and standard44/32/22 chainrings on the crank. This combination givesyou 27 gear choices and moves you from as little as 4.4 feetper crank revolution to a giant 27.23 feet.

Same as above, but this time with 29-inch wheels.

Welcome to the world of 2x10 drivetrains. While numberscannot tell the whole story, they do reveal what you lose andwhat you gain. We start with SRAM’s 11-36 cassette mated tothe Truvativ 42/28 and 39/26 cranksets.

The numbers show that the lowest gear possible (26 chain-ring with a 36 rear, or 26:36) moves you forward 4.92 feet,

Game changer: The SRAM XX cassette starts with an aluminum36- or 34-tooth cog. The next eight cogs are machined in one piece,and an 11-tooth cog slides on to function as a retaining washer.

THREE-BY-NINE26-INCH WHEELS

THREE-BY-NINE29-INCH WHEELS

TWO-BY-TEN26-INCH WHEELS

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Following tradition: A nine-cogcassette and three-ring crank isstill the most accepted drivetraincombination in mountain bikingfor trail riding and cross-countryracing. Change is on the horizon.

which is half a foot more than a conventional 22-tooth grannygear mated to a 34-tooth cog. It is almost identical to a 3x9-equipped 29er’s lowest gear, shown above. For a rider with agood power-to-weight ratio, riding a cross-country race bike orexpensive sub-26-pound trailbike, this will work. However, itmay cause problems for heavier riders on heavier bikes, espe-cially later in a ride when every hill feels a little steeper andlonger than it actually is.

On the other end of the spectrum, the 2x10 offers less gearon the top end if you are spinning the 42:11 combo. On asmooth, long downhill, tuck in and pedal away with a gear thatmoves you about a foot less every pedal rotation than yourbuddy mashing a 44:11 on his 3x9.

Note that you can’t have both with the 2x10. If you go for

We are going to run the drill again, same as above,except this time, we mounted the SRAM 11-32 cassette.

What does the 2x10 movement mean to 29er riders? Youbetter be fit. We teamed a Truvativ 39/26 crankset withSRAM’s 36-11 cassette for this big-wheel roll out. The low-est gear, 26:36, is about half a foot taller than a 22:34combo and equivalent to a 22:26 on a 26er. That would bea tall gear for anyone except a racer on a lightweight 29errace bike. Now, if an enterprising rider matched the 11-36ten-cog cassette with a 44/32/22 crankset on a 29er, he’dhave a low gear that mirrors a conventional 26er’s lowgear. Now, that’s an interesting idea.

On the other end, the tallest gear you’d have, 39:11, isover a foot off the top end of a nine-cog, 44:11 gear combo.That is not as much of an issue as the low gear, becausehow often do you find yourself spun out on a downhill?

TWO-BY-TEN29-INCH WHEELS

the tall top end (42:11), you pay the price on the low end(28:36) of almost a foot—even taller than a 29er’s lowestgear. If you go for the lowest geared XX crankset (26:36), youlose almost a foot on the top end. The 3x9 may be at a disad-vantage when it comes to chainline and shifting performance,but it still offers a wider spread of gearing choices on bothends of the spectrum.

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NNuummbbeerr CCrruunncchhiinngg

SRAM never intended their XX cassette to find its wayonto a drivetrain with a triple-ring crank up front. Theyfeel some of the XX magic is its smooth chainring shifting,because each chainring only has to be designed to move thechain in one direction (you can only upshift from thesmaller ring and downshift from the big one). Still, some-body has done it, and that somebody is Specialized.

The 2010 Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper Carbon isfitted with a SRAM XX 11-36 cassette and 44/32/22 chain-rings. The combo gives you a tractor-pulling low gear and aBonneville-Salt-Flats top end. The lowest gear moves youforward 4.16 feet each revolution, so you better be great atspinning the cranks or balancing (or both). The top end of27.23 feet for each crank revolution is the same as a con-ventional 3x9 and way more top gear than a World Cup prowould push.

Another application that SRAM didn’t intend their XXgroup to be used for was converting a 2x10 cross-countryrace bike into a 1x10 bike. But it has already happened, andthe combo won a cross-country national championship. Therider, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, and his Fisher 29er, used aSRAM XX 11-36 cassette, a Truvativ Noir crank (not theXX crank), a 36-tooth chainring, no front derailleur and achainguide.

This setup is course spe-cific, because the lowestgear rolls out at seven and ahalf feet. There are only somany times the legs canpush that gear up a steepclimb. Top end doesn’t suf-fer because this is a 29er.JHK got almost 25 feetevery time he turned thecrank in the 36:11 combina-tion.

Before you write off theten-speed as something onlya World Cup racer couldlove, think about all thesingle-speed riders who do just fine with nine fewer gears.When used by a fit rider on a light bike, the ten-speed drive-train has already proven to be a winner.

THIRTY SPEEDSTHIS IS GETTING CRAZY

TEN SPEEDNOT LIKE YOUR DAD’S

Ten-speed: Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski used ten speeds, achainguide and 29-inch wheels to win the 2009 Cross-Country National Championship. He gave up gearing on bothends and worked the center. It was all he needed.

Breaking the rules: Leave it to Specialized to push the boundaries.The 2010 S-Works Stumpjumper offers its riders 30 gear choices.Although four of the gear combinations overlap (on paper), theydon’t overlap on the trail.


Take your pick: It is not uncommon for a rider with a single-speed drivetrain to put the hurt on riders with far more gearingchoices. A study of our two-by-ten and one-by-ten charts mayprove to be all the gearing you need.

Long days: A cross-country race is a few hours of intense suffering. Trail rides can be three times that long and will wear you down ina different way. At the end of an epic, it is a blessing to have plenty of gears to choose from.

Two-by-ten: Big wheels, light carbon fiber frames and two-by-ten transmissions have found favor in cross-country racing(usually the last places to adopt new technology). Are youwilling to give up seven gears?

Old-school riders use a system to calculate their forwardmovement based on equivalent wheel size. The concept,called the gear-inch system, dates back to a time before bicy-cles had chains.

The concept was dreamed up when safety bikes, whichused a crank-and-chain drivetrain system, began to replacethe big-wheeled bikes of the 1800s, whose cranks mounteddirectly to an oversized front wheel.

Taking the rear wheel’s diameter, multiplying it by thefront chainring and then dividing that number by the rearcog calculates gear inches. You come up with a two or threedigit number that works for the sake of comparison and littleelse. Take, for example, a mountain bike with 26-inch wheelsin the middle ring (32 teeth) and the top cog (in this case, a34-tooth cog). So (26x32)/34=24.470588 gear inches, or alittle over two feet.

This gear-inch calculation is suitable for comparison withyour other gear selection options, but it doesn’t translate tothe real world. That’s because one revolution of a 32/34-gearcombination on a 26-inch-wheeled bike is going to move yousix feet, five inches down the trail—not two feet. ❑

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American women bring home the medals;men bring home a problem

N ature dictates that males and females of the same species diverge inappearance and behavior—and nowhere was that more evident than at the2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Canberra, Australia. The

sexes couldn’t be more different than those on the American mountain bike team.Our women racers are on top of their game, while our men have some soul searchingto do. America needs to rethink its entire program if it ever hopes to become competi-tive on the world stage again. The disparity is so great between the sexes that it ishard to believe both the men and the women have germinated from the same racingdevelopment programs.

American women finished in the top three of the cross-country, downhill and4-Cross (where we took two out of the top three spots). And, all those top slots werebacked by other American top-ten finishers in each racing discipline.

As for the American men, our high point was an eighth place in the Cross-Countryevent and an eighth in the 4-Cross, which, in a field of 32 riders, is hardly worthlicking a stamp to write home about, especially with the Eric Carter and Brian Lopesyears still fresh in American-racing memory.

The closest we came to a Downhill podium position (even when it is expanded toinclude the top five positions) was a 13th place with a time gap wider than first andsecond place in the men’s Cross-Country event (and that was a two-hour race versusthe Downhill’s two-minutes and 30 seconds).

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MBA Competition


British royalty: The perennial “Mr. SecondPlace” at the World Championships, Steve

Peat, didn’t come up short this year. Hisdownhill win was the most popular of theweekend, even among his rivals and the

partisan Australian fans.

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MBA Competition

PACK YOUR BAGSNine of the top 20 downhillers at the Worlds cut their

teeth racing in Australia and New Zealand. Before you claimhome-court advantage, these are the same riders who consis-tently school us on our own shores. If Americans are seriousabout running with the big dogs, they need to bid farewell toAmerica’s disjointed downhill race series, mediocre sponsor-ships and tasty McDonalds. We aren’t tough enough, ourcourses aren’t challenging enough and our fast food is tooplentiful.

In cross-country, Swiss and French riders have claimedsix of the top ten positions. Switzerland cut their teeth bat-tling against 2008 World Champion Christoph Sauser for thelast decade and, to give them more oomph, the ScottSwisspower team has had Thomas Frischknecht tutoringthem (and he is working miracles).

There was a time, long ago in a far off galaxy, whereyoung American bicycle road racers packed their bags andeked out a living racing in Europe just for a chance to get a

real world education. It must have worked, because today,American road racers are the toast of the Continental towns.They have been winning the pro tours.

Not so with the American mountain bike racer. The timeshave changed, and the current crop of racers is not inclinedto give up the familiarity and comfort of America to headinto the unknown.

No sweat. If the American men won’t go to the mountain,they shouldn’t expect the Mountain Bike WorldChampionship title to come to them. Those rainbow-stripedjerseys aren’t handed down to the coolest guys on the cir-cuit—just the fastest women. ❑

Hill biking: The Canberra, Australia, downhill course was more ofa hill than a mountain. This presented the racers with hard deci-

sions about what equipment was best suited for the course.

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Commander Cody: Former American Downhill National Champion Cody Warren was thetop American finisher in the Men’s Downhill event, putting in a Herculean effort to makeup for an early split time that had him outside of the top 20.

Versatility: Melissa Buhl was the only gravity rider to place in the top ten of two disci-plines, the Downhill and 4-Cross. In this day and age of specialization, Melissa is still arider who would rather race both than sit one out.

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MBA Competition



RESULTS

MEN’S1. Steve Peat, Great Britain, 2:30.332. Greg Minnaar, South Africa, 2:30.383. Mick Hannah, Australia, 2:31.024. Fabien Barel, France, 2:31.175. Sam Hill, Australia, 2:33.046. Gee Atherton, Great Britian, 2:334.317. Nathan Rennie, Australia, 2:34.318. Justin Leov, New Zealand, 2:34.329. Chris Kovarik, Australia, 2:34.3510. Steve Smith, Canada, 2:34.50Others:13. Cody Warren, United States, 2:35.9515. Kyle Strait, United States, 2:36.3118. Brian Lopes, United States, 2:37.5821. Aaron Gwin, United States, 2:38.1222. Duncan Riffle, United States, 2:38.46

WOMEN’S1. Emmeline Ragot, France, 2:50.052. Tracy Moseley, Great Britian, 2:52.543. Kathy Pruitt, United States, 2:54.894. Fionn Griffiths, Great Britain, 2:56.795. Floriane Pugin, France, 2:57.316. Claire Buchar, Canada,, 2:59.427. Micayla Gatto, Canada, 2:59.448. Mio Suemasa, Japan, 2:59.569. Melissa Buhl, United States, 3:01.6910. Joanna Petterson, South Africa, 3:03.30

DOWNHILL

Equipment dilemma: The Downhillcourse was not as technical asmany World Cup courses, andsome riders, like Fabien Barel,elected to run single-crown forks.His first split was second only toSteve Peat, but his top speedranked 21st.

Photo by Victor Lucas

MBA Competition

Miss Dependability: Kathy Pruitt has proven she knows how toget the job done. When the pressure is on, Kathy is a rider youwant in your corner.

Come from behind: Mick Hannah was as far back as fifthplace over the beginning of the course and used the second-fastest top speed of the day to claw his way to third beforecrossing the finish.

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Eye of the tigress: Jill Kintner ran her ownracing program this year that took her all theway to the 4-Cross World Championships’podium. Missing the rainbow jersey is onlygoing to make this lady more determined.

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4-CROSSRESULTS

MEN’S 1. Jared Graves, Australia2. Romain Saladini, France3. Jakub Ruha, Czech Republic 4. Rafael Alvarez De Lara Lucas, Spain

WOMEN’S 1. Caroline Buchanan, Australia2. Jill Kintner, United States3. Melissa Buhl, United States4. Anita Molcik, Austria

American sandwich: Australia’s CarolineBuchanan finds out what an American cheese-burger must feel like. Sandwiched betweenJill Kintner (left) and Melissa Buhl, the 4-Crosspodium was a pure celebration.

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RESULTS

MEN’S 1. Nino Schurter, Switzerland, 2:04.392. Julien Absalon, France, +00:033. Florian Vogel, Switzerland, +00:584. Jose Antonio Hermida Ramos, Spain, +00:585. Geoff Kabush, Canada, +02:046. Cedric Ravanel, France, +02:357. Jean-Christophe Peraud, France, +02:598. Todd Wells, United States, +03:069. Jaroslav Kulhavy, Czech Republic, +03:2210. Christoph Sauser, Switzerland, +03:45Others:18. Adam Craig, United States, +05:0329. Sam Schultz, United States, +07:3134. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, United States, +09:01

WOMEN’S 1. Irina Kalentieva, Russian Federation, 1:43.202. Lene Byberg, Norway, +00:133. Willow Koerber, United States, +00:524. Sabine Spitz, Germany, +01:305. Anna Szaframiec, Poland, +01:376. Catharine Pendrel, Canada, +02:367. Cecile Rode Ravanel, France, +03:078. Esther Suss, Switzerland, +03:409. Eva Lechner, Italy, +03:5810. Heather Irmiger, United States, +04:12Others:14. Katherine Compton, United States, +06:3215. Georgia Gould, United States, +07:0121. Mary McConneloug, United States, +08:31

CROSS-COUNTRY

Weeping willow: There were tears ofhappiness after Willow Koerber (11)spun out the ride of her life to bestrivals like Sabine Spitz, CatherinePendrel and fellow American HeatherIrmiger. Willow’s ride was inspirational.

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MBA Competition


In the family: It is the second year in arow that Switzerland lays claims to themen’s cross-country rainbow jersey. NinoSchurter defended Switzerland’s honor bybesting last year’s runner up, JulienAbsalon.

Big Wheel: Chalk one more achievementup for Todd Wells and 29-inch wheels.Todd broke into the top ten of the cross-country, and the larger hoops helped gethim there.

Photo by Robert Jones

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SHOWCASE

DRAW ATTENTIONTO YOUR AD WITH

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A s winter moves in upon us, thedays get shorter, nights get colderand conditions become less than

ideal for mountain biking. To help keepyour riding spirits high (and entertained),we’ve compiled a list of mountain bikeDVDs for your viewing pleasure.Hopefully, the flicks below will inspireyou to dig up those insulated gloves,waterproof shoes and snow tires, and getback out on the trail before spring rolls in.

Live free and ride: Freedom Riders is ahigh-definition film about the progression oftrail building in the United States over the lastten years. The movie highlights a small groupof riders who evolved from covertly buildingrough and unsustainable trails to developing aprecedent-setting relationship with the ForestService and creating some of the best freeridetrails in the country. “Freedom Riders” is alook at the evolution of the sport, from anactivity reserved for the few who rebelledagainst the spandex-clad status quo to themainstream sport it is today.$19.99, (307) 690-7411

Party crashers: The DH Productions crewdug deep into their archives, sifted throughdecades worth of footage, and pulled out thesickest crash clips they could find for OTB,otherwise known as Over The Bars. You willwatch the athletes involved take you throughthe details and explain why they push theirlimits for the sake of progression. Featured ath-letes include Aaron Chase, Cam McCaul, JeffLenosky, Josh Bender, Randy Spangler, WayneGoss, Kyle Ebbett, Andrew Neethling, CamZink, Mike Kinrade, Steve Romaniuk, JimDeChamp and more. $19.99, (814) 422-7878

Follow the leader: Anthill Films is a newproduction company started by several of thepeople responsible for successful movies likeSeasons and Roam. Anthill’s debut project iscalled Follow Me and is slated for release inspring 2010. In every experience, from sendinggiant step-downs to high-speed trails, it’salways better to share the ride. Follow Me has astar-filled cast of riders, including GeeAtherton, Ben Boyko, Geoff Gulevich, SamHill, Matt Hunter, Cam McCaul, BrandonSemenuk, Stevie Smith, Kurt Sorge andThomas Vanderham.(604) 567-1011

Pro style: Fluidride’s Like A Pro is aninstructional video developed by riders forriders. The video delves into proper bodymovement, and each technique is explained ina way that will be helpful to everyone frombeginners to pros. The techniques discussedcross over to most forms of cycling, fromcross-country to downhill to dirt jumping.$24.95, (206) 547-0712

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Ads_2.indd 1 12/18/08 3:06:14 PM


Tip top: From the creator of Between The Tapeand F1RST comes The Tipping Point, a new moviefrom filmmaker Clay Porter. The Tipping Pointhighlights every round of the 2008 UCI World Cupseries, as well as the World Championships. Shotin the United States, Australia, Finland andCanada, The Tipping Point documents the sport ofWorld Cup downhill mountain bike racing.$19.99, (800) 727-6689

Riding dirty: The fifth feature release fromAllout Productions, Days of Dirt, offers up a blendof downhill and freestyle action. From the hills ofOakland to Crankworx, Days of Dirt showcasesAmerica’s finest riders getting down and dirty,doing what they do best. Featuring rippers likeCole Bangert, Brad Benedict, Ryan Condrashoff,Brian Miller, Alex Reveles, Duncan Riffle, LukeStrobel, J.D. Swanguen, Greg Watts and more,Days of Dirt will get you stoked to get dirty.$21.95, (800) 962-7497

All about the ride: Kranked 8 Revolve fromRadical Films is a high-definition tribute to theride and the rider. Revolve is shot from the FrenchAlps to the lush coast of British Columbia andincorporates dirt jump, trail riding, slopestyle anddownhill. Featured riders include Jamie Goldman,Sam Pilgrim, Lance McDermott, Steve Romaniuk,Sam Hill, Brendan Fairclough, Bobby McMullen,James Doerfling, Rene Wildhaber, Mike Kinrade,Garett Buehler and more. $27.95,(604) 886-5950

Greatest hits: Jeff Lenosky is one of the mostinnovative mountain bike riders in the world, andhis career has spanned more than a decade. JeffLenosky’s Greatest Hits includes some of the mostjaw-dropping video segments from the last tenyears. This DVD documents Jeff’s progression allthe way from the original classic Keepin’ it Real tohis award-winning section from Chain Reaction 5and everything in between. $19.99,(814) 422-7878

Rub some dirt on it: Freeride Entertainment’slast edition of the New World Disorder series,NWD 10: Dust and Bones, is shot in high definitionwith Red cameras and brings you the ultimatethrow-down segment by Darren Berrecloth, unbe-lievable backflip combinations from Greg Wattsand the new-school styles of Graham Agassiz.Watch Paul B slay his personal slope-style coursein Nevada, Gee Atherton shred through the forestsof Italy, and Aaron Chase session HighlandMountain Bike Park in New Hampshire. Throw inthe rest of the top dirt jumpers and slopestylers,and this world-class mix will have you reeling.NWD 10 is the culmination of a decade’s worth ofblood, sweat and tears.(250) 352-3377 ❑

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Marzocchi 44 TST2 lock-outAvid Juicy-3XT (or X9)XT (or X9)FSA Gamma EXOFormula-MavicTruvativ StyloFSA FR230FSA SL280WTB Speed-VXT (or X9)HG50 11-34Sram PC951Ritchey LogicKenda Kinetics

Fox ‘10 Vanilla RL(Float RLC +$225)Avid Juicy-3XT (or X9)XT (or X9)FSA Gamma EXOMavic CrossrideRace Face RXCFSA FR230FSA SL280WTB Speed-VXT (or X9)Sram 980 11-34Sram PC951Ritchey LogicKenda Kinetics

Fox ‘10 Vanilla RL(Float RLC +$225)Magura Julie HPXT (or X9)XT (or X9)XT (or Race Face)Mavic CrossrideRace Face RXCFSA FR230FSA SL280WTB Rocket VXT (or X9)Sram 980 11-34Sram PC951FSA Orbit XL2Kenda Kinetics

Fox ‘10 Vanilla RL(Float RLC +$225)Avid Juicy-7XTR (or XO)XT (or X9)XT (or Race Face)Hope-DTX430Race Face DeusThomson/HopeThomson EliteWTB Rocket VXT (or X9)Sram 980 11-34Sram PC971FSA Orbit XL2Nevegal Kevlar

Apex XTTora Kit $649

CompBuild Kit $949

VictoryBuild Kit$1249

Unlimited Build Kit$1575

Master Build Kit$1849

Pinnacle Build Kit$2449

Reba Race Pop(Float RL +349)XTRXTR (or XO)XTR (or XO)XTRSun Dirt FleaFSA XC-190FSA OS-115FSA SL280WTB DevoXTR (or XO)XTR 11-34Sram PC971FSA Orbit XL2Nevegal Kev.

XTR Sale Build Kit$2949

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Adrenaline Build Kits: Pick a frame from our massive online selection , pick a build kit, call for prices on any & all desired upgrades, pay with your credit card, then sit back & wait for your perfectly assembled & tuned bike to arrive by UPS!

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Other bike brands that we offer: Atomlab, Azonic,Banshee, Blk Market, Brodie, Brooklyn,Canfield, Commencal,Calfee, Co-Motion, Corsair, DMR, Ducati, EverTi, Fondriest, identiti, Litespeed, Merlin, Mondonico, Pashley, Redline, Ridly, Ritchey, Scapin, Sibex, Soma, Spank, Spot, Surly, & more!

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A premier Moots Dealer since 1999Why? Best selection, service, & PRICES!

29ers, 69ers, and all 16 Moots modelson our site: call for a full-bike quote!

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BMC ‘08 SLC01 $3900 $2999BMC ‘08 SLT01 $3000 $2299BMC ‘08 SLX01 $2600 $1999 Frame/fork. Kits extra.

‘07 DH200$5300

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“Simply put, the Marinblew our minds. It is thenew standard!” -MBA“Bike of the year” -MtnBiking magazine. Why?patented 4 axel throughbolt design for unbeat-able rigidity. Instanta-neous pivot center forunsurpassed rising ratesuspension performance.The 5” models are verylight weight: only 5.9 lbs! 6.6”travel

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Custom handbuilt Wheelsetspriced as pairs ( F & R )All with DT XR4.1 or Mavic 717 rims, DT 14 guage spokes$519 Hope (Black, Red, Blue, Pewter or Gold)$619Revo spokes (saves 1/3 lb.) +$33. Colored Nipples +$14

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MBA on the Chumba XCL: ”PERFECT steering control.It literally turns circles around every other bike outthere!” Top Euro magazine Velo Vert on the VF2:“Exotic and sexy. Perfect suspension, perfect quality.No flex. The perfect trail bike!” The XCL & VF2 sharethe same geometry, & suspension design. VF2 is 3/4 lb.lighter, w/more rigid hydroformed tubes & carbon rear.

Price match& price beatrequests always welcomed!

ADS_1.indd 42 9/17/09 2:37:39 PM


DOWN THE TRAIL

W ay back in 1999, North-Shore-style stunts were relatively new to ridersoutside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, but they were catchingon fast. We grabbed some lumber, nails, a hammer and saw and put

together an entry-level skills course of our own to join the fun.

Horse play: Save yourself a lot of timeand sweat by picking up two 24-inchClassic Burro sawhorses.

The trail: Find some used(or new) 2x10 boards. Usea ten-foot board to con-nect the two Burros. It’sbest to use 3/8-inch lagbolts to snug the board tothe Burros.

Ramp it up: Make sure the ramps on each side of thebridge are longer than your bike’s wheelbase. Cuttingthem too short will cause your chainring to dig into yourstunt and make riding up or down way harder.

Tighten it up: Attach the two ramps to the Burros with 3/8-inchlag bolts and tighten all your hardware.

Walk the plank: Your stunt isready to master. After not morethan an hour of use, check thehardware to make sure it is tight,and inspect your wood forcracks that could lead to suddenfailure. ❏

Ads_2.indd 4 7/23/09 3:08:48 PM

Mountain Bike Action december

Sports

Transcript of Mountain Bike Action december