Mountain Bike Action - January 2006

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RED HOT VEGAS BIKE SHOW: BIKES, PARTS, GIZMOSALL IN THIS ISSUE!

JANUARY 2006

INNOVATIVE, CLEVERACCESSORIES COMING TO A BIKE SHOP NEAR YOU

STOP GUESSING:DISC BRAKE SHOOTOUT

LAND ACCESS—WINNING THE BATTLE

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895-

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Attn. retailer: Pleasedisplay until Jan. 5

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THIS MONTHTravel to a faraway place touncover yet-to-be released bikesand goodies for mountain biking.If you can’t find it here, you prob-ably don’t need it. Page 30.

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SHOOTOUT96 The Big Four Disc Brake

ShootoutAvid, Hayes, Magura andShimano squeeze off in a battlethat had to be stopped.

FEATURE46 It’s About Access

Mountain bikers play, while trailsare taken away.

64 One Mammoth DayMountain biking’s 2005 NationalChampions.

75 Quality, Not QuantityChromag: more human bikes andcomponents.

86 Take A Ride With IronHorse’s Brain TrustA conversation with DaveWeagle.

TECHNICAL104 2006 SRAM Downhill

ComponentsAnother contender for king ofthe hill.

108 Inside The Pros’ BikesCody Warren’s downhill titlemachine.

TRAINING & FITNESS90 Winterize Your Bike,

Body And BrainLet it snow, let it snow, let itsnow.

100 Should You Be Training?Tips that are not just for racers.

DEPARTMENTS8 Happy Trails

Racing and the modern age.

10 Mac AttackQuestions unanswered.

BIKE TESTS26 Titus Moto-Lite

Arizona’s vision of the “onebike” that will do it all.

56 Specialized S-WorksEpic DiscCarbon comes to the Epic.

78 Specialized Demo 8 Race-ready ripper tested at theWhistler Mountain Bike Park.

INTERBIKE SHOWSPECIAL REPORT30 The Bike World Reveals

Its Hand In Las VegasWe check out the winners andthe losers.

41 Downhill MadnessSir Isaac Newton would beproud.

42 Show WeirdnessThe strange and unusual.

44 Faces In The Crowd This was the place to be seen.

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Scalp protection: A new entry intothe bicycle helmet game launcheswith a strong first move. Page 22.


January 2006 / MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION 5

contents

MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION Magazine (ISSN 0895-8467 Canada GST 12500#9266RT: CPC INT’L. PUB MAIL 40024492)January, 2006 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, $24for two years. Foreign add $15 additional postage for one year, $30 for two years. Foreign subscriptions are shipped bysurface mail and may take up to 15 weeks to receive. Copyright ©2005 by Daisy/Hi-Torque Publishing Company, Inc. Allrights reserved. Nothing in this magazine may be reprinted in whole or in part, by any means, without the express per-mission of the publisher. Contributors: Photographic submissions must be 5x7 or 8x10 glossy black and white, or 35mmand larger color slides. Please mark each photo with owner’s name and address. Manuscripts should be typewritten.Unsolicited contributions, manuscripts, photographs and illustrations must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Unless special arrangements are made in advance, all published material becomes the sole prop-erty of Daisy/Hi-Torque Publishing Company, Inc. The publisher does not assume responsibility for unsolicited material.Periodicals postage paid at Santa Clarita, CA 91355, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Mountain Bike Action Magazine, P.O. 958, Valencia, CA 91380-9058. Printed in U.S.A. For Canadian returnsmail to: Hi-Torque Publications, 4960 -2 Walker Rd., Windsor ON N9A 6J3.

VOLUME 21, NUMBER 1JANUARY 2006

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12 HardtalesA Kamikaze attack on Mammoth.

18 TrailgramsName that trail.

20 Ask R.C.Finding a mountain bike gem inthe garage.

22 Thumbnail Thrash TestsStuff for your head, feet andstomach.

106 How To SubscribeEasy, schmeazy.

111 Travel DirectoryMountain bike travel companies.

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WARNING: Much of the action depicted in this magazine is potentially dangerous.Virtually all of the riders seen in our photos are experienced experts or profes-sionals. Do not attempt to duplicate any stunts that are beyond your own capa-bilities. Always use discretion and wear the appropriate safety gear.

112 Quick ReleasesBrand-new stuff, real riders.

114 Down The TrailDual-slalom nirvana.

ON THE COVERA selection of new bikes and products fromthe Interbike show vie for your attention;Eric Carter flies to another title (photo byRyan “the auteur” Cleek); and the wreckingcrew crowds together for a disc-brakeshootout (photos by John “dust storm” Ker).

Brake it off: The four biggestnames in disc brakes get com-pared on our test fleet. Page 96.

Down from the mountain: There is a new player in the down-hill component game. Page 104.

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Happy Trails By Richard J. Cunningham

“T he racing scene is only afraction of what it used tobe. What do you think

happened?”The question came from a former bike

maker who had surfed the wave when alleyes were focused upon the NORBANational and the World Cup series. Hehad just returned from the U.S. NationalChampionships at Mammoth Mountain,California—an event that was once solarge that mountain bikers filled the cityto capacity. In its heyday, the fields wereso deep that there were four full days ofcompetition—cross-country at dawn anddual-slalom after dark. Long after themedals were awarded, bicycle box vans,race-team semis and passenger vehicleswith bikes loaded on car-top racks wouldbe strung out on the highways for hun-dreds of miles to all four points of thecompass.

“Yeah, I remember the good olddays,” I said, “when racing was moun-tain biking. Now, after a somewhatugly adjustment period, I think thatracing has taken its rightful place asjust one aspect of the sport.”

“That’s a black vision,” replied theman in the golf-logo shirt. “Time willprove you wrong on this one. Thewhole industry took a beating in the’90s, not just racing. Attendance wassmall potatoes at Mammoth, but thevibe was strong. I think that racing ismaking a comeback.”

“What that really means is that youare planning a comeback,” I laughed. “Isit a cross-country or a downhill bike?”

“I can’t show it to you yet,” his voicelowered, “but I can tell you that it has lotsof CNC-machined magnesium, over eightinches of travel and that some big-namepros are pretty impressed with its perfor-mance. Right now, we’re searching forsome talent to head up our race team.”

“Now, there’s a marketing plan,” Ichided. “Choose the smaller of the twomost atrophied mountain bike marketsand then jump in with both feet. Afteryou’ve given away half of your fleet tothe pros, who are you going to sell therest of your production to?”

“Not so fast, Mister Black.” (I sensedthat I was in for a lecture.) “WhenBMX spiraled in, GT bought up asmuch business as they could. WhenBMX came back—boom! GT was sit-ting pretty and making bucks. The wayI see it is that downhill is the onlything we’ve got going that has a visualpresence, and this country’s all aboutthe visual. All we need is a more excit-ing format, some TV coverage andbingo, gravity racing will be back on

do well in the NORBA national seriesor a guest appearance for pros whowere too busy (or lazy) in Europe torace for the home crowd.”

“So far, so good,” I smiled.“Then, I’d combine the mountaincross

and downhill disciplines into one nation-al series,” he continued. “This wouldbring the National circuit closer to majorpopulation centers, because mountain-cross events can be staged on smallermountains, or hillsides in urban parks.I’d give out colored arm bands and num-ber plates to the leaders in each disci-pline, but the points in each event wouldaccumulate towards one national cham-pionship. A title has to mean somethingto everyone. The man or woman whoearns the number one plate will be thebest downhill racer in the U.S.A.—endof story.

“Then, I’d make mountaincrosscourses more technical, with at leastone fast, flat corner, and I’d throw insome rocky or sandy sections and high-speed whoops made from logs or tele-phone poles. I don’t ever want to seeBrian Lopes win a gravity race on a stu-pid hardtail again.”

“What about big-format races?” Iasked. “In this great vision, how wouldyou improve downhill?”

“Open up the courses.” Docker Dantraced an imaginary downhill, his handemulating a rider in action. “Enough ofthis puttering down the mountain at 20miles an hour. We need some flat-outspeed sections with sliding corners, drop-aways and risers that leave the racersdangling above the ground for 50 yardsat a time. Watch a downhill ski race andyou don’t have to be a skier to appreciatewhat’s going on. Mountain bikers knowhow hard it is to bounce and weavedown an ultra-technical course, but it’sstiff and boring for outsiders to watchthat kind of stuff. We need speed. Forty-year-old John Tomac beat all comers onthe Mammoth Kamikaze two years run-ning. That tells me that today’s pros havenever been over 50 miles an hour on abicycle. Skiers hit 70 on a practice run—without suspension or brakes. We shouldbe able to get close to that without toomuch trouble.”

“Well, you’ve got me interested inracing again,” I admitted. “But I stillthink you are wasting your time mak-ing bicycles again.”

“How’s that?” Mister Power-StrokePickup looked puzzled.

“Another nine-inch-travel gravity bikeisn’t going to change the world,” I said.“But there is a desperate need for a newnational downhill racing organization.” ❏

top. If I water the flower now, I’ll besitting pretty when it blooms.”

“Where have I heard that before?”(Now it was my turn to take the pul-pit.) “Remember when cross-countryracing became an Olympic Sport? Thehuge influx of new mountain bikersthat everyone predicted never material-ized. World Cup racing at its peak, withspectators lining the course and heli-copter cams following the riders downthe mountain, wasn’t visual enough.Made-for-television formats like ‘Kingof the Mountain’ weren’t visualenough. You’d think that downhillersthrowing themselves off cliffs at the‘Red Bull Rampage’ would have easilyearned a spot between ‘DisparagingHousefraus’ and the ‘Worst Wing,’ butthat never materialized either. Exactlywhat kind of visual presence did youhave in mind? Dressing up downhillerslike WWF wrestlers and sending four-person teams down the course to dukeit out for the win?”

“Ha, ha, ha. Now there’s a visual,”snorted Mister Buff-Colored Dockers.“As much as I’d love to watch that on thetube, I had something quite different inmind. The whole NORBA NationalSeries needs to be overhauled. It has nocontinuity. Each event needs to buildtension towards the end of the season.”

“Okay,” I sat down on the tailgate ofGolf Man’s F350 Ford pickup, “Let’s pre-tend that NORBA was capable of think-ing outside of its box and that you havealready convinced some affluent promot-ers to adopt a new format. I’m all ears.”

“First of all, I’d get rid of the one-dayNational Championships.” MisterSnow-White Tennis Shoes was finallymaking some sense. “All that it reallyamounts to is a ‘last-chance consolationrace’ for unfortunate racers who didn’t


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The Mac Attack By Jim McIlvain

Y ou would think that after twenty some odd yearsof mountain biking, I’d have all the answers. Nottrue. There are plenty of troubling questions I’ve

not been able to answer. Like...★★★★

Why do they call it the “professional” class when itdoesn’t pay any purse?

★★★★Why do fork companies measure travel in millimeters,

yet frame makers measure rear-wheel travel in inches?★★★★

How come a rider will spend hundreds of dollars toshave a few ounces off a bike and then eat an entirepizza while watching TV?

★★★★Why are they called clipless pedals when you have to

clip in to use them?★★★★

Ladders and bridges were first incorporated intomountain biking so riders could traverse muddy sec-tions of terrain. So how come you see them construct-ed in parking lots now?

★★★★How did skater helmets ever become the first choice of

so many mountaincrossers who need more protectionthan any other discipline of mountain biking?

★★★★How come 198 grams sounds lighter than seven

ounces, but 453.59 grams sounds heavier than onepound?

★★★★How come all cross-country bikes don’t use wide bars

like the ones single-speed riders use?★★★★

How come you hear riders at the back of the pack ina cross-country race say, “I’m only riding this race fortraining.”

★★★★Why are there more climbs than downhills on every

ride?★★★★

Why do energy bars have to taste like that?★★★★

How come component makers publish weights ingrams and bike makers list their weights in pounds?

★★★★Why are the hours of Barney Baxter’s Bicycle Barn

only convenient for unemployed people?★★★★

How come it takes forever to get into riding shape, yetonly a week to lose everything you gained?

★★★★Why are there production mountain bikes that sell

for $7000!?★★★★

Why is it understood that an eight o’clock ride startsat 8:30?

★★★★Why is it called a waterbottle cage when one end is

always open?

★★★★How come a 20-mile “easy ride” always ends up being

16 miles of hammering?★★★★

Why do so many mountain bikes gain one or twopounds on the trip from where they are made to wherethey are sold?

★★★★How come you get so grumpy when you fall, but

laugh uncontrollably when a riding partner getspitched?

★★★★Why hasn’t Ned Overend slowed down?

★★★★How can bike builders annually discover frame

tubes that are lighter and stronger than the ones theyused last year? Wouldn’t that make bicycle framesweightless by now?

★★★★How come we call it a pedaling platform now, when

we used to call it suspension with bad stiction?★★★★

How come they don’t make a great-grandma gear forreally steep hills?

★★★★Why do “businessmen” take over mountain bike com-

panies and put them out of business?★★★★

If you consumed ten supplements that claim to delivera ten percent boost in performance, would you be 100percent faster than you are now?

★★★★Why do we complain about paying $3 a gallon for

gasoline, but gulp down $29-a-gallon Red Bull?★★★★

Why do so many TV, camera, computer and car companies use mountainbikes in their adver-tising, but so fewof them sponsormountain bikeevents?

★★★★Why isn’t there

a mountain bik-ing resort (withlifts) that isopen all yearlong becauseits mountainisn’t coveredin snow sixmonths of theyear?

★★★★Why doesn’t

everyone mountainbike?

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You can contact Jimmy Mac directly at [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

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Hardtales

Not all the secretshave been revealed

The 2004 return of the most leg-endary mountain bike event in the his-tory of our sport, the MammothMountain Kamikaze Downhill, wassuch a hit that the race was held againin conjunction with (but not as part of)the 2005 NORBA NationalChampionships.

The event attracted 110 starters (afraction of the 1200 riders who racedthe event at its peak), from seasonedprofessionals like last-year’s winner,John “Johnny T” Tomac; ChrisKovarik; Sam Hill; and Phil Tintsman,to riders like Lanie Aldridge, who wonthe Junior Women 18-and-under withan impressive time of six minutes, 45.5seconds.

When the dust had settled, Johnny Thad scorched the course in just underfive minutes, three seconds—a timegood enough to again win the event andprove that last year’s win was no fluke.

Surviving AKamikaze Attack

Lunar landing: Part-time wreckingcrewer Mo Hutchison tries to find trac-

tion on the lunar surface that makes upthe top section of the Kamikaze

course. To imagine that riders used torace this without suspension sends

shivers up the spine.



Longest trip: Dan Takuma made the tripfrom his native Japan to make the topten in the Pro/Semipro class. Day-glocolors were all the rage when the firstKamikaze was run in the 1980’s. Wind tunnel: Visors were removed from

helmets to reduce wind resistance, andkeeping elbows close to the body is anecessity when your speed is way above30 miles per hour. Doug Frei demon-strates.

What’s your excuse?: Bobby McMullen(530) is legally blind, but he wasn’t goingto use that as an excuse for missing the2005 Kamikaze. Riding behind his friend,Andy Friesen, Bobby reached his goal ofa top-ten finish. He took eighth place inthe Beginner Men’s class, beating threeriders in the process.

Da winner: “There are a lot of tricks to this course,” explained Johnny T (above andright) to a photographer he had almost run over while using a creative line. “Thetrick to winning the Kamikaze is in your tuck and use of the brakes.” We figure “useof brakes” means not touching them.

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Hardtales

Seen in the pits: Mike David of Troy Lee Designs was spotted in the pits at the Mammoth Nationals wearing this prototype,open-face D2 helmet. The idea is to meet the needs of Super-D racers who want more protection than a cross-country lid andnot as much claustrophobia as a downhill helmet. Mike wore the helmet in the Super D. Will we see a production version? “Ifenough riders want them, we’ll make them,” said Troy Lee.


http://www.primal-sports.com

http://www.primal-sports.com

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Hardtales

REALLY FAT TIRESNEVER GET STUCK

AGAIN

Giving new meaning to fat-tired bicy-cles, Surly offers the Pugsley. ThePugsley frame and fork will accept 4-inch tires on 26-inch rims. The floata-tion and traction gained by using large-volume, low-pressure tires can get youover and through otherwise unrideableterrain, including ice, snow, sand, mud,wet rocks and roots. In many condi-tions, bigger is better. Surly also offersEndomorph 3.7 tires with a 3.7-inchwidth and modest paddle-like tread pat-tern to allow the tire to float, ratherthan dig. You can get more informationby calling Surly at (877) 743-3191.

Best dressed: Becky Brain shows high-fashion form on her way downMammoth Mountain’s amateur downhillcourse. MBA riddle: Becky came in lastin her class and still won. How? Answer:She was the only racer in the class.

Broken down and disgusted: Using car-bon bars? Keep an eye on any clampingarea. If a clamp has a rough edge, it canscore the bar when tightened. That cre-ates a stress riser where the bar willeventually fail.

Soil sample of the month: Winner Keith Kanawyer of Santa Clara, California, takes adigger with style and class. ❏

What are teammates for?: Eventual 2005 National Mountaincross Champion (andreigning 4-Cross World Champion) Jill Kintner had a rough morning of practicebefore her event. A teammate accidentally took her out in practice. It’s amazing,isn’t it? World Champions even crash gracefully.


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Trailgrams [email protected]

HE’LL TAKE AN ISSUEI can’t believe the amount of nega-

tivism Jimmy Mac got towards MBAwhen he was trying to give copies away(Mac Attack, October 2005). Whatplanet are these people living on?While I enjoy occasionally picking up acopy of another bike mag to flipthrough, I truly feel that MBA is theonly one that reads like it was actuallywritten by writers and edited by editors.

MBA was the first mag that reallygrabbed me when I was a mountainbike newbie (even if you did trash myMongoose MGX). See, I grew up withanother Hi-Torque publication: DirtBike. It was the first motorcycle mag toreally test bikes and have the courage tobe honest in their evaluations. It madea lot of companies mad in its earlydays, and more than one rider predict-ed its demise; but it’s funny, all the“mainstream” cycle mags started fol-lowing their lead and getting a littletougher in their tests. It’s also interest-ing how quickly dirt bikes startedevolving in quality once there wassome critical reporting going on. It’slike dirt bikers were finally given avoice to expect more out of the makersthan they were being given at the time.

So, when I started getting into moun-tain bikes and saw this Hi-Torque pubcalled Mountain Bike Action, I expectedno less from it…and it hasn’t disap-pointed me. As far as I’m concerned,you guys are the gold standard that allthe other mags are judged by. Sure,you’re not going to make all of ushappy all the time, but I think youcome the closest to covering the fullspectrum of our sport and doing it in awell-written yet easy-reading way.

Doug MinorNine Mile Falls, WashingtonDoug may be slightly biased because he

is an honorary wrecking crewer. Hepenned an excellent story on obtainingsponsorships in our November 2005 issue.

KEEP IT REALIn your August issue, the average price

for the bikes tested is $3749.50, andthere’s a frame for $2486 (you didn’tgive the “as tested” price for the Foes). Inthe case of the Specialized S-WorksEnduro, a $5700 playbike, you stated,“you get what you pay for” while givingit a rave review. I wonder if, in additionto that company’s three full page ads, thebike test isn’t another three page ad. Oh,and for $600 less, one can buy a top-shelf 125cc motocross racer. Still say youget what you pay for with the S-works?Please keep it real.

Lou MaharBedford, Massachusetts

I took this photo at the 2005 Crank-worx. It is a series of three shots, andmy mate compiled them together to cre-ate this sweet sequence. This is JohnJesme laying down a superman duringthe Jump Jam session. I have just start-ed to mountain bike in the last twoyears. Your magazine has been the sin-gle best source for learning about tech-

niques, bike components, and bikesthat is available.

Rael LangeVancouver, BC, CanadaGot a killa’ shot? Wanna become

famous? Burn your photo to a CD andmail it to MBA Trailgrams, 25233Anza Drive, Valencia, CA 91355. Itmay appear right here.

READER PHOTO OF THE MONTHJESME IN FLIGHT

Can you name the trail in the photo of my Specialized Epic out on an epic ride?Roy White Bend, Oregon

NAME THAT TRAILMYSTERY SPOT

The Flume Trail, Lake Tahoe, California.




Trailgrams

Send e-mails to [email protected] and if our spam filter kicksit back, send a letter to MBATrailgrams, 25233 Anza Drive,Valencia, Ca. 91355. Please includethe town and state where you live.Trailgrams tip of the month: Ducttape is now available in small, flatpackaging (as opposed to on a bigroll). Stick some in your hydrationpack. The tough stuff works for manyon-the-trail repairs.

FOLDING FORKSMe and two of my friends are dirt

jumpers. In the past nine months wehave broken seven forks. Two just today!We’ve demolished one Marzocchi XTR,four Marzocchi Z1 freerides, oneRockShox Pike Race, and one RockShoxPike SL. Can any fork stand up to a dirtjumper’s punishment? Our forks weremostly broken during spins. The Pikeswere broken learning 360s, which werelanded successfully by the end of the day.If any company thinks their fork isstrong enough, send it to us. We stillneed to practice the 360’s.

Collin MorrisonBethesda, MarylandMarzocchi’s ’06 Dirt Jumper forks with

32-millimeter alloy stanchions are aboutas tough as dirt jump forks get. If thatdoesn’t work, you’ll either need to increaseyour health insurance, or buy a motocrossbike and increase your health insurance.

BETTER NUTRITIONYou made a couple of terrible mis-

judgments about Crested Butte (MBA,October 2005). I’m a diehard CrestedButte fan and resident and was psychedto see you highlight the amazing ridingand beautiful scenery of our town.Unfortunately for you, someone steeredyou in the wrong direction on yourvisit. First of all, the food in CrestedButte is quite amazing for a small town.You just happened to hit the absoluteworst restaurant and most overpricedrestaurant in town. Second of all, mostlocals do not ride hardtails. Sure, wehave lots of buff singletrack, but wealso have lots of rugged downhills andtechnical trails. With the exception ofthe people on rental bikes, and theoccasional hardtail purists with backproblems, you’ll see way more 4-5-inchtrailbikes than anything else. I welcomeyou back to Crested Butte, and I’ll takeyou out for some delicious food andsweet riding. Just let me know when!Oh, and your magazine rocks.

Janae PritchettCrested Butte, Colorado

A COOLER ARIZONAIn response to Abe Gold’s letter from

your October 2005 Issue, I think theone who has it all wrong is Abe. I amproud to see that he is knowledgeableof weather conditions here in the Valleyof the Sun, and while it is true that westill retain triple digits through mostparts of the day, McDowell MountainRegional Park is located outside thecity, which helps lower the temperatureconsiderably. I have participated in thepark’s night ride, and it’s a great experi-ence due to the huge participation and

I was out riding in Park City, Utah,on the Mid Mountain Trail and ranacross this bike hanging in the tree.About a mile down the trail, I met theguy who was riding the bike. He broke

his collar bone, and his face was allbanged up. If not for a helmet, hewould probably not be here today.

Gordon BrownSalt Lake City, Utah

the fact that everybody out there isenjoying the nice temperatures. Insteadof complaining and trying to see if youcan prove MBA wrong, why don’t youput on your night gear and head out toMcDowell Mountain Regional Park soyou can see a different weather outsidethis concrete jungle. I’ll see you there.I’ll be the one enjoying the weather.

Carlos SamanoPhoenix, Arizona

GET A GRIPI find it frustrating that Grip Shift is

not spec’ed on almost any new high-end bike because it “would not sellwell” according to product managers.Grip Shift is simple, light and compact.Nothing dumps or grabs a bunch ofgears as well as Grip Shift, and it hasstood the test of time.

Dual Control, conversely, is a crock. Itis clumsy, heavy and ugly. It’s vagueunder pressure, terrible to change upwith an unnatural back-of-the handmovement, and slow to move large gearnumbers quickly. Plus, it is reliant total-ly on spring pressure, which can betricky mid race, or epic, if the cablesstart getting a fraction sticky. Did I men-tion the limitation of brake choices?

Wake up, people. Dual Control

barks. So does 9 speed for mountainbikes. Remember the show “Eight isEnough”? Well, it is. We don’t needsuch minute ratio options for mountainbiking at the expense of operational lat-itude when confronted with mud anddirt.

I’m no luddite. I drool for carbonfiber, X-type bottom brackets, SPV valv-ing and all other truly worthwhileadvances. Think of how light and effi-cient an eight-speed Grip Shift drive-train could be made if it was focusedon. Maybe it could be marketed as a“Race 8” option? I’ll take one, please.The future is sometimes in the past.

Scott MacDonnellAuckland, New Zealand ❏

TRAIL DECORATIONHANGMAN’S TREE



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Ask R.C. By R. Cunningham

smoothly under braking unless it is oper-ating in a neutral zone somewhere nearthe first third of its travel. Use theProPedal function to tune your pedalingplatform, and keep the shock-spring pres-sure as low as possible without causingthe suspension to bottom out excessively.

VINTAGE GEM FOUND INGARAGE

Q: A coworker is selling a steelBontrager frame of unknown vin-tage. I haven’t found any informa-tion on this bad boy. It has a wish-bone seatstay and a nifty, bolt-on,anti-chain-suck device integratedinto the chainstay. I’m stumped asto the model and year. A framesticker reads, “Hand built in theUSA with True Temper OX 2 MainTubes and Stays.” Can you help?

R.C.: Your Bontrager is probably anearly to mid ’90s vintage Race or RaceLite made in Santa Cruz. KeithBontrager says that the Race frameshave 7/8-inch chainstays and heavier.9-.6-.9-millimeter butted tubes. The“Lite” frames have 3/4-inch chainstaysand lighter .7-.5-.7 butted main tubes.Its head tube is offset machined withthicker bands in the forward area of thehead tube. If it’s in good shape, buy it.Few hardtails have that magicBontrager feel. By the way, Keith hasbeen tearing up the 24-hour circuit late-ly and raced the Trans Rockies thisyear—Animal!

NOT HYPNOTIZED BYHIS TRANCE

Q: I have played with the suspen-sion settings of my Giant Trance 1all summer, and I still find it to bethe worst bike I have ever ridden!It climbs pretty well, but ondescents it has a rough, chatteryride that really beats me up. I feellike I get no small-hit compliance,and the bike has a “cheap” feel.Should I sell it?

R.C.: I also noticed that the Trancecan feel rough in the rear whiledescending—especially when I am drag-ging the rear brake. That said, I am afan of Giant’s Maestro chassis, so,before you sell it for scrap, try twoimportant setup changes:

First, add some low-speed compres-sion damping up front. This will makethe fork ride higher in its travel, and itwill force the shock to work harder onthe descents.

Second, set the shock to its correct sag(25 percent of its stroke) so that the rearsuspension rides farther into its travel. Ihave noticed that the Giant’s dual-linkrear suspension will not function

PUT AWAY THAT DRILL!Q: I was wondering if it is a good idea to Helicoil the

brake bracket holes on a Manitou Minute fork.R.C.: Steel thread inserts like the Helicoil require you to drill

an oversized hole and then thread it to an even larger diameter.Inflicting such an operation on the minimal-sized post-mountcaliper bosses of your Manitou fork could do more harm thangood. Leave well enough alone.

Big-guy bike: Cannondale’s Prophet iswell suited for man-sized bodies andaggressive East-Coast trail riding—butthe new Rush (says R.C.) may be evenbetter.

Post no drills: Manitou forks (like this Nixon Elite) use a pair of cast posts tomount the brake caliper. Would steel thread inserts improve their strength?

WISE PROPHETQ: I’m trying to pick a new full-

suspension bike. I like to ride tech-nical trails here in Maryland, but Ialso have to ride pavement, so Ican’t deal with suspension bob. Iam 51, weigh 215 pounds, standfive-feet, ten inches and have a 32-inch inseam (I have a long torso). Ilike the Trek Fuel 8 EX and theCannondale Prophet 1000. Anyadvice?

R.C.: Cannondale’s Prophet is thebetter choice. Cannondale’s top tubesrun long, and the Prophet 1000 hasManitou’s SPV air-adjustable pedalingplatform in its Lefty “fork” andSwinger 3-way shock. For your infor-mation, the new Cannondale Rush islighter and more cross-country worthythan the Prophet and shares similargeometry. Both handle rocky EastCoast singletrack very well. ❏


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

HUTCHINSON REP ’AIR TUBELESS PATCH KITThe company most responsible for the tubeless movement offers

a repair kit with special glue that mends most punctures withoutremoving the tire. It’s available for $10.

Features: Rep’air uses a special glue that requires no surfacedegreasing or sanding for the patch to stick to the inner casing.Even better, the glue will seal thorn punctures without tireremoval. The kit includes a tube of glue and four patches.Hutchinson can be reached at (888) 664-8824.

MBA Rating: ★★★★★ We tested for a thorn repair by drilling a 1/32-inch hole in a Hutchinson Scorpion. After deflatingthe tire, we squeezed some glue into the hole, let it dry for three minutes, inflated the tire and hit the trail. We tested for larg-er punctures and rips by drilling a 5/32-inch hole. Again, we followed Hutchinson’s instructions, this time gluing a patch tothe inside of the tire casing, installed the tire and inflated. Both of our repairs have stayed permanently sealed after 15 plushours of riding. Rep’air works both on UST and converted tires. It can also be used to repair a small rip in the sidewall areathat is too flexible for Stan’s to seal. This product will save you from throwing away an expensive (yet damaged) tire.

LAS SQUALO HELMETA cross-country helmet from an uncommon company with an unusual name

(LAS) promises to make you a standout. Just ask Gary Fisher, who will ride innothing else. The LAS Squalo sells for $144.

Features: The 29 vents are configured to create a center ridge of shark fins anda tailfin (Squalo is Italian for shark). LAS also offers the Squalo in solid blue, grayand white, as well as mixed versions of the colors. Custom team finishes are avail-able on request. The Squalo weighs 11.2 ounces. It sells for $154 with a visor. Youcan reach LAS at (888) 867-4334.

MBA Rating: ★★★✩✩ The Squalo just screams Ferrari styling and finish.Durability and protection are promoted by extending the hard shell down andaround the bottom of the sides and rear quarter of the helmet. Another innova-tive feature is the one-piece, padded lining. It’s the first lining we’ve seen thatcan be removed and thrown in the wash. Once clean, it takes just a second toput back in. Included in the front sphere of the liner is an anti-insect net thatkeeps ugly bugs from finding habitat in your hair. The shell is available in twosizes and includes a very well-thought-out and functional retention system.LAS’ strap design is easy to adjust and features tidy, continuous loop strapends. On the trail, the Squalo is comfortable and stays in position. We experi-enced some interference between eyeglass ear stems and the skull lock. (A com-mon problem with retention devices.)

NIKE MTB 101 SHOEThe Nike MTB 101 is a high-performance mountain bike shoe named after the

singletrack trail that Lance Armstrong built on his ranch in Texas. The $249 shoeis sold only at Trek Bicycle shops, and one dollar from every purchase goes to theLance Armstrong Foundation.

Features: The MTB 101 has Nike’s X-change lug system, so you can replaceand customize (with two different durometers) the rubber grips on the shoe’s sole.The sole has a carbon fiber plate with toespring for maximum stiffness and powertransfer. Retention is handled by two Velcro straps and a large adjustable polycar-bonate nylon ratchet buckle. A Pebax nylon cage integrates the heel cup, strap andbuckle. The shoe’s upper and straps use KNG100 synthetic leather. The shoe isSPD compatible and comes in 18 sizes. Each shoe weighs 15 ounces. The 10/2symbol on the left shoe represents the day that Lance was diagnosed with cancer.You can check them out at any Trek dealership.

MBA Rating: ★★★✩✩ The attention to detail is top notch. There is not a drop ofexcess bonding material, any loose threads or even a misaligned seam. Fit is dialed infor fat-footed Americans. You won’t pinch your toes in these shoes. The sole is race-tuned, meaning it is stiff for transferring power to the pedals but not so great for hike-a-biking. Cosmetically, we’d like to see a molded protector added to the front of theshoe. We tore the surface of the synthetic leather in the toe area after a few rides. ❏


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MBA BIKE TEST

Arizona’s Version Of The “One Bike”The Titus Moto-Lite By R. Cunningham

T itus may have discovered the per-fect blend of a quick-acceleratingclimber and an ultra-capable,

dual-suspension chassis. Titus founderChris Cocalis previously designed twodual-sport contenders: the big-drop-capable Super-Moto, and the lighter-weight, cross-country-oriented Switch-blade. Both earned a place on MBA’sshort list of ultimate trailbikes. Chris,however, is one of those insatiable,detail-oriented guys who can’t leave wellenough alone—even if well enough is“great.”

MEET THE MOTO-LITE The five-inch-travel Moto-Lite repre-

sents the culmination of everything thatChris learned from developing theSuper-Moto and Switchblade, with acouple of tricks thrown in that reducethe overall weight to a figure that rivalsmany production cross-country racingsleds. Our medium-sized test bikeweighs 26.4 pounds, with a parts pickthat won’t shy away from a high-speeddownhill run at the summertime skiresort of your choice.

Specially designed, flared and buttedmain frame tubes give the Moto-Lite’sframe great strength without the bulkand patchwork gussets that “adorn”most long-stroke trailbikes. Titusemploys the fully active four-bar rearsuspension that Chris has been honingto perfection since he hooked up withAMP Research back in the early ’90s.Depending upon your courage, you canorder your Moto-Lite with a range of air-sprung shocks, or choose a more gravityoriented, coil-over damper.

The beautifully crafted rear end piv-ots on ball bearings and uses rectangulartubes to boost its stiffness, withoutcramping the space necessary to cleartires, chains and sprockets. Our testbike’s medium chassis weighs only 5.9pounds.

Want a lighter frame? Moto-Lites areproduced in aluminum for most of us,but aficionados can have one custommade in titanium or with “Exogrid” toptube and downtube. Exogrid is a Titusterm for a honeycombed titanium tubethat has an internal layer of carbon fiberpressure-molded inside of it. The trick-looking composite pipes replace thetaper-butted main tubes of the customTi chassis.

MOTO-LITE BY THE NUMBERSA sturdy, lightweight chassis is only a

starting point for a top-performing trail-bike. A half-degree here or a quarter ofan inch there can mean the differencebetween a lethargic and a lithe-feelingchassis. The Moto-Lite’s geometry shiftsbetween sizes to insure that riders of dif-fering physiques can experience thesame quality of handling and perfor-mance. All told, the Moto-Lite’s geome-try leans strongly towards the cross-country racer side of the box, which leftus wondering if there was any Super-Moto influence in the Moto-Lite.

A Moto-Lite frame starts at $1395 forthe aluminum version. You’ll shell out alot more ($2820) for titanium, and theExogrid model costs a staggering $3850.Sizes come in extra-small (reportedlythe Moto-Lite is the most compact long-travel chassis you can buy), small, medi-um and large. Titus offers five buildoptions that range from the “Base Kit”($2294), to the “Ultimate Race Kit,” likeour test bike, that runs $4775. Female-specific frames are available, too.

LET’S GO RIDEStep over the Moto-Lite’s top tube and

you’ll readily appreciate that Titus hasradically sloped it to add some extrastandover clearance. The seat tube isreinforced by a formed sheet metal strut,so you won’t be flexing the frame whenyour seat is at full cross-country exten-sion. Roll out and the Moto-Lite feelsnimble and ready to move forward witha slight push on the pedals. We inten-tionally set the Fox RP3 shock and F100RLT fork to give a plush ride (25-percentsag) to benchmark the pedaling perfor-mance of its active rear suspensionbefore we fussed with pedaling plat-forms and fork lockouts. In all but themost aggressive pedaling situations, theTitus accelerates without sapping legpower with wallowing suspension.Switch the RP3 shock to the middle ormaximum platform positions and youcan hammer at will.

Pedaling performance: No surprisehere. Titus cross-country bikes haveconsistently rated at or near the top ofMBA’s all-time best climbers, and theMoto-Lite pedals as if it were a Racer-X.Its TALAS (travel-adjustable, linear airspring) fork can be reduced from five tofour inches of travel to assist climbing,

What’s in back counts: Titus hashoned its four-bar active rear suspen-sion to near perfection. Clamp itsMagura Marta SL disc brakes and youcan still reap the smooth ride of itsFox RP3 damper.

but we never touched the dial. Thelonger-stroke fork rolls over rock stepsand keeps the bike moving over roughtrail surfaces. The same can be said of itsrear suspension. The net effect of theMoto-Lite’s longer legs is a greater levelof pedaling efficiency in real-life trailriding situations.

Singletrack handling: The Moto-Lite’s steering geometry is slightlyrelaxed, but steeper than the 69-degreetrailbikes we have been testing lately, soit felt cross-country quick at first. At sin-gletrack speeds, however, the Titusbecame an integral part of its rider.Nimble and light, and with wide, stickyKenda knobby tires, the Moto-Lite couldclaw its way up or swoosh down almostanything that nature and forest trailbuilders could throw in front of it. Flickthe handlebar and master tight switch-back corners with ease. The Moto-Lite’ssmooth-riding suspension and intuitivesteering move you through the forestsilently and with uncanny swiftness.

Technical skills: Experienced riderswill find little fault with the Moto’s abil-ity to land moderately scary drops andjumps. Its front end tracks well when itis pointed towards the center of theearth, and its eight-inch front brakerotor and Magura Marta brakes are



More than cross-country: If you didn’tknow that there was five inches of suspen-

sion travel below you, you’d believe thatthe trail had recently been smoothed out.

Titus’ Moto-Lite handles like a racing chassis that can do no wrong.

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Frame material ....................................................................Aluminum Fork ..........................................Fox Racing Shox F100 TALAS RLT Shock ......................................................Fox Racing Shox Float RP3 Rims ......................................................................DT/Swiss XR 1540Tires .... (F) Kenda Kinetics (2.35"), (R) Kenda Kharisma (2.1") Hubs................................................................................DT Swiss 540 Brakes ......................................................................Magura Marta SL Brake levers ..............................................Magura Marta SL carbon

Crankset ...................................................................... Shimano XTRBottom bracket .......................................................... Shimano XTRShifters................................................................ SRAM X.O triggers Rear derailleur ................................................................ SRAM X.OChainrings ..........................................................Shimano (44/32/22)Cassette ....................................................Shimano 9-speed (12-34) Pedals ............................................................................................None Hotline ........................................................................(480) 894-8452

TITUS MOTO-LITEPrice...$1395 (frame), $4775 (as tested)

Country of origin...USA Weight...26.8 pounds

Frame size....................................Medium (19") Bottom bracket height ............................ 13.5" Chainstay length...................................... 16.85" Top tube length ...................................... 23.25" Head angle ..................................................70.5°Seat tube angle ..............................................73°Standover height ......................................28.75" Wheelbase ................................................42.75" Suspension travel (front) ........5" (adjustable)Suspension travel (rear)............................5.25"

Five or four inches?: Two shockmount options on the Moto-Lite’sswing link are perfect for the riderwho may race an occasionalMarathon or 24-hour event.

ders, stumps and other nasty sectionsthat would reduce most bikes to beingpushed.

Speed work: Neutral corneringmakes it possible to change lines whilethe Titus is drifting and shifting. This isa real confidence builder, because bothwheels tend to follow each other regard-less of the soil and roughness of the trail.You can push the Moto-Lite harderaround any corner without sacrificingcontrol. Too much speed? Simply lean itover and burn it off with a little drift.Too little and you can accelerate earlywithout pushing the front tire.

In the air: The Titus stays where it’sput, and if you do miss a takeoff, the Foxfork and shock will catch you and guideyou back on line in almost every case.The Moto-Lite leaves the earth smooth-ly and lands like a big cat.

Suspension notes: The Moto-Litecan be ordered with burlier suspensionthan the lightweight RP3 air shock andF100 fork of our test bike. That said, ourMoto-Lite put in a surprisingly stellarperformance down our flat-out ridgerun. Finesse riders can really squeezesome speed from the Lite’s five inches ofcushion over rocky and rutted descents.Heavy-handed types who are used toworking the bumps on dedicated down-hill rigs, however, will need a more capa-ble fork and shock to descend with thesame intensity.

Technical report: SRAM’s X.O trig-ger shifters and rear derailleur, pairedwith Shimano XTR drivetrain compo-nents, delivered nearly flawless perfor-

Long legs: The Moto-Lite makes uptime over rough, rocky terrain. It makesstair steps and any drop within theheight of its front wheel an easy roll.

impressive stoppers. Less experiencedtechnical riders (the ones who releasethe brakes and hope for the best) willmiss the stability that a slacker headangle would give the Titus. But what theTitus gives up in the drop-in depart-ment, it makes up for everywhere else.The chassis balances close to the centerof the bike, which makes it easy to flickthe wheels up, over and around boul-

mance. Add feather-light Magura Martadisc brakes and DT Swiss wheels andyou get a very, very fast trailbike. For itsintended purpose as a high-performancelong-travel trailbike, we wouldn’tchange a single component.

FINAL WORDS The Moto-Lite is the perfect “One

Bike”—Titus style. This is an ultra-capable, cross-country trailbike that cando just about anything in the hands of agood rider. The Moto-Lite is about max-imizing the technical skills of an accom-plished cross-country trail rider orboosting the range and climbing abilitiesof an experienced technical specialist.Either way you look at it, Titus has pro-duced a winner. ❏


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MBA 2006 SHOW COVERAGE

Welcome To The Big ShowLas Vegas hosts Interbike

A colossal show held once a year, Interbike is where bicycle shop owners and their staff gather to peruse the latest offerings from individuals and companieswho make products for mountain bikers. Of course, the MBA wrecking crew

was in the house, running up and down the aisles like kids in a candy store. Come alongand enjoy the sweetest treats we could find.



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BEST IN SHOWIbis is back! The Ibis

Mojo Carbon gets 5.5inches of rear wheeltravel utilizing a DW-Link suspension. Alllinks are forged andnickel plated with easy-to-service pivots andbearings. Ibis claims the

Show grid: This expansive view reveals less than five percent of the exhibit’s floor. Over 1000 vendors vie for the attentionof bicycle shop buyers. This show is a make-it-or-break-it proposition for new companies.

frame is 5.8 pounds andwill sell for $1899 with anRP3 Shock. This may bethe most sought-after bikeof 2006. The Ibis boothwas jammed during theentire show. Call them at(866) 424-7635, and putyour name on the list!



SMALL TOUCHES AWARDFox leads the charge in the attention-

to-detail department. Every 2006 Foxjersey has a “no smear” sunglass wipecloth sewn inside the jersey. Aftersweating it up the climb, you’ll be ableto see the descent.

OUTFOXING AWARDFox’s Launch knee/shin pad ($69.95)

utilizes their patented X-up strappingsystem. The retention strap locks inboth sides of the knee cup, making fora super-snug, slip-resistant fit. It alsoeliminates Velcro rash! A killer idea.

TOUGH GUY AWARDPrimal Wear had a unique take on

arm warmers. They’re perfect for toughguys who are afraid of needles. PrimalWear can be reached at (303) 745-8442.

LOADING ZONE AWARDThe first two days of Interbike take place at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, Nevada, where buyers can test-ride bikes.

Tony Ellsworth (of Ellsworth Bicycles) couldn’t keep up with the requests for rides on his all-new Rogue. This bike got inmore laps than the winner of a 24-hour race.

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ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AWARDRocky Mountain turned 25, and in celebration they rolled out a brand-new,

hand-made-in-Canada Slayer. The Slayer gets LC2R (Low Center CounterRotating)—the suspension design causes the top link and Thrustlink to counterrotate when activated. Rocky Mountain claims this lowers weight, eliminatesreliance on the shock for optimized rising rate, and increases lateral stiffness. Theany-trail, one-bike Slayer will be available in four models from $2199 to $4499.Find a Rocky Mountain shop near you by calling (604) 527-9906.

GOT-YOU-COVERED AWARD The Pressure Suit (top) from

SixSixOne offers an open weave stretchfabric, injection-molded plastic shouldercups, large cutout areas under theshoulder for increased mobility and aremovable plastic chest plate. It sells for$190. The SP2 (bottom) is a more com-pact version of the Pressure Suit, withEVA foam in the chest. It will go for$170. You can get more info by calling(888) 520-4888.

LOCALS ONLY AWARD

One of the originalVancouver NorthShore bike shops, Covenow offers a line of tenbikes that were con-ceived between gondo-la rides at Whistler.The Peeler offers 8.5inches of rear wheeltravel out of a rear sus-pension that operateson a massive four-bear-ing single pivot. Theysell it with a Fox DHX5.0 shock. You won’tfind these bikes inmany U.S. bike shops, so call them directly at (877) 929-2683.


GRAND THEFT AUTO AWARDThe bikes that Haro displayed were all

stolen the last day of the show. If some-body offers you a smokin’ deal on a 2006Haro Sonix, beware. We rode Haro’s newSonix prototype (MBA October 2005)and came away impressed, but we defi-nitely didn’t steal it.

SO LONG NRS AWARDGiant has extended their Maestro

suspension to their cross-country raceline with the intro of the Anthem. TheAnthem replaces the Giant NRS with3.5 inches of rear wheel travel con-trolled by a Manitou S-Type shock withSPV. There will be three models—allaluminum frames targeted towardscross-country racers.

THE WE’LL PAY AWARDScott unleashed their Ransom all-mountain bike that uses Scott’s carbon frame

(made with their CR1 carbon welding process), an interchangeable dropout sys-tem and on-the-fly travel control options. The heart of the Ransom is theEqualizer TC rear shock. This large-volume shock bathes its seals and bushings inan oil bath that Scott feels makes it easier to tune and more reliable. TheIntelligent Rebound Valve (IRV) is a speed-sensitive rebound adjustment, and aPower Stabilizer knob allows dialing in the shock’s pedaling platform. You can getmore info at (800) 292-5874.

THE PROTO AWARDMountain Cycle shocked the show by unveiling a number of non-production

prototype bikes. It was a risky move that seems to have paid off. This proto ismade for the stunt rider who likes to go fast, too. Specs were not published, butone rider summed it up by saying, “The faster you push it, the better it gets.” Willthey make it? Mountain Cycle’s American manufacturing gives them a greatopportunity to take a good idea and run with it. Expect to see this in productionbefore 2007. Mountain Cycle’s phone number is (503) 294-4340.

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ADDED POWER AWARDJamie Ramsden is the mountain bike

point man for Goodridge, who intro-duced steel-braided brake hoses last year.We’ve had great results upgrading toexpansion-resistant lines, and the newshas traveled fast. Goodridge offers morecolor choices for 2006, and a line ofbrake pads. If you are looking for morebraking power, call (310) 533-1924.

COOL SHOE AWARDThe Oakley Slant shoe has a sole that

is tuned for pedaling, yet with enoughstyle to wear as your off-the-bikefootwear. The soles offer great scuff pro-tection from heel to toe, and the shoesare available for $90 at any bike shopthat sells Oakley products.

YARD SALE AWARDWhat looks like a train wreck is actual-

ly Nokon’s display for their cable andhousing system. A single system for bothbrakes and index shifting, Nokon cablesand housing remain supple when brak-ing, yet laterally stiff to ensure crisp shift-ing. Available in the original polished alu-minum finish or in black. You can getmore information at (310) 316-9831.

IF-THE-SHOE-FITS AWARDSidi’s Daniele Signori and Eleonora Canal were showing off their most popular

mountain bike shoe, always the MBA wrecking crew’s favorite-fitting shoe, with anew twist. Riders with wider feet now have a size just for them. These wider shoesbring the legendary Sidi fit to all of us who spent our childhoods in flip-flops. Get allthe size breakdowns from Sidi at (831) 394-7114.

THE SEVENTIES SHOW AWARDAzonic’s display featured a fried-out combi, psychedelic graphics, three cute go-go

girls and tons of new products. Trying to choose one product to highlight was impos-sible, because Azonic offers everything from frames to gloves! Best idea is to call themat (800) 326-6325 and get a catalog.



THE HAPPY DUDE AWARDWhy is this man smiling? Chris Cocalis, the man behind Titus Bicycles, had a great

show. His 2006 models are the result of careful evolution and insightful modifica-tions. While no one bike stood out (okay, the 19-pound Racer-X had our collectivejaws dropping), they all appear to be flawless. Titus bikes are for the rider who wantsthe best. You can reach them at (800) 858-4887.

THE JELLO AWARDClif Bar saved a lot of show walkers who were down on energy. The samples of

their new Clif Shot Bloks were a major hit. The little squares have the consistency ofJello and the punch of Clif Shot.

GREAT LITTLE IDEA AWARDShimano shortened the lever reach on the shift triggers used for the Hone and

Saint groups. The shorter levers allow the shifters to be run inside of the brake perchclamp. This allows downhillers to adjust their brakes so the levers meet their fingersin a perfect position—a simple and effective idea.

WEIGHT SAVINGS AWARDFox has removed material from their sus-

pension to save weight. Kidding! The cut-away suspension views (a costly and timelyprocess) were so dealers could see theinternal workings. Expect the cutaways toshow up at select events and races.

THE BLING AWARDDirty Dog offered seven different

laser-cut disc rotors. These rotors are notcut to reduce heat, increase stoppingpower or prolong brake pad life. They aremade to impress. Got a bike that looks alittle plain? Dirty Dog rotors bolt on for atotally fresh look. You can reach them at(408) 892-6468.

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THE COMING ALONG AWARDHayes showed a rough prototype of their internal transmission at last year’s show.

The project has progressed to working mules from Ellsworth (above) and Hayes(right). The design is the one most likely to succeed, because it doesn’t stray far fromthe time-proven derailleur. In the simplest of terms, the Hayes tranny is a derailleurin a box. Stay tuned for updates and, hopefully, a ride impression.

THE 29-INCH AWARDLook closely at this Lenz long-travel trailbike. You are gazing at a 29-inch-wheeled,

dual-suspension, low-top-tube trailbike. Lenz brings the 29-inch experience to riderswho want a long-travel trailbike and are not over six feet tall. One of their tricks tofitting the long-travel fork is the specially made front hub (left). The hub you’re look-ing at took about a week to fabricate. You can get more information by calling Lenz at(303) 857-9151.


THE METALLURGY AWARDMoots showed the Zirkel, a three-inch-travel trailbike named

after the highest peak in the vicinity of Moots. The Zirkel usesan aluminum swingarm for rigidity and a titanium front trian-gle to dial in the Moots ride. The Zirkel will set you back a cool$2750 for the frame and shock, or $3100 for a frame with yourcustom dimensions. Call Moots at (970) 879-1676.

THE FLOYD FACTOR AWARDBMC is best known in America as the road race bike of moun-

tain-biker-turned-roadie Floyd Landis. Maybe Floyd had someinfluence on BMC’s decision to bring their mountain bikes to thestates. The Superstroke 01 has 5.9 inches of travel and a burly,replaceable dropout. The aluminum-framed bikes should hit ourshores this spring. You can reach BMC at (952) 656-3100.

THE 2:1 RATIOAWARD

Brent Foesunleashed a new rearsuspension that uses a2:1 ratio, meaning forevery inch the shockshaft travels, the rearwheel moves twice asmuch. “You cannotbelieve how much easi-er it is for a racer todial in the exact ride hewants,” explains Brent.“Developing theCurnutt Shock and the2:1 rear suspension atthe same time allowedme to do things youjust won’t believe.”Brent’s booth was fullof more spies than theUnited Nations. Youcan reach Foes at (626)683-8368.

THE MOTO AWARDJim Felt was a motocross mechanic for Johnny “O Show”

O’Mara back in the eighties, and he has parlayed his mechanicalknowledge into Felt Bicycles. Known for their strength intriathlon competition, Felt is making a bigger push into moun-tain biking. Starting with high-end, hardtail race bikes (an areaJim understands), expect an expanded line for mountain bikers.

You can reach Felt Bicycles at (949) 452-9050.

SHOCK-IN-A-POCKET AWARDUnknown to most of us in America, Focus Bicycles are a major

player in Europe. Their line of marathon bikes has the shocktucked into a pierced top tube, giving the bikes the cleanest pro-file of any dual-suspension bike out there. They don’t have a con-tact in America yet, so if you’ve got to have one, e-mail them [email protected].


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NORTHERN INVASION AWARDIt seems like bike builders are popping out of Canada faster than riders bombing down

the A-line trail at Whistler. One that stands out is Knolly, with their V-tach, Deliriumand FreeRadical frames intended for resort riding and extreme stunt riding. The pur-pose-built line appears to be indestructible. You can reach them at (604) 523-6635.

THE PROTO AWARDHonorable mention goes to Rock-

Shox. RockShox showed a number ofdesign concepts to judge dealer inter-est. Pad printing, cable routing man-agement and tube size were just a fewof the ideas being tested out here.Putting the fork under glass increasedthe “unobtainable” mystique.

THE GRAPHICS AWARDCannondale’s new platform pedal

is called the Grind. The pedal’s namereads forwards and backwards. Goahead and try it out. Turn your mag-azine around.

MAKING-AN-APPEARANCEAWARD

Specialized intro’d the 2006 line to theirdealers at a big bash in Santa Cruz,California, months ago. Their presence atInterbike was subdued; they showed onlyselect models and accessories. And speak-ing of accessories, their helmet line isimpressive.

CLOSETORGANIZERAWARD

What do you dowith all the spacein a CannondaleLefty’s steerertube? You design amini tool thatfolds into a bullet-shaped container,and then you slideit into the steerertube. Very clean.

CHAIN MANAGEMENT AWARDRace Face showed this brand-new

$159 chainguide system that may finallybring compatibility and ease-of-installa-tion up to snuff. It offers 50 degrees ofarticulation, so it fits a wide range offrame/suspension designs. Theboomerang is made from aluminum, andupper and lower blocks from a high-impact secret material (said to withstandabuse without breaking a sweat). You canget more information at (604) 527-9996.



DownhillMadnessSir Isaac Newtonwould be proud

W hile still one of thesmallest segments of mountain bik-

ing, there was no lack of inno-vation in the ranks of down-hill race bikes. Here are just afew that jumped out at us.

THE GARBANZO AWARDThe Marin Quake AL7 was a show

stopper. The 6.9-inch-travel bike’s rearsuspension is designed by Formula Onesuspension guru Jon Whyte. Jon based itoff his QUAD suspension system thatworks on a four-pivot, floating swingarmplatform with the path of the rear axletuned to cancel out pedaling forces yetconform to the terrain. The top-of-the-heap Quake AL7 will go for $4250. Getmore info at (415) 382-6000.

BEST UPGRADEAWARD

Many riderswere worried thatGT might replacetheir perennialfavorite, the GTDHi, with theinternal-transmis-sioned iT1. Whyworry? The 2006GT DHi was theslickest downhillbike at the show.You get a beautifulcarbon fiber seatmast and GT’sproven i-Driveunderneath. This isthe every-mandownhill race bike.

NOT-NEW-BUT-WHO-CARES? AWARDSanta Cruz doesn’t play the new-model-year game. When they come up with an

improvement, it is made right then and there. So even though the V-10 is not a newdownhill bike, it packed the gravity junkies into the Santa Cruz booth.

BEST SIGNATURE BIKEThe Mongoose EC-D (the EC stands

for Eric Carter) gets the MongooseFreedrive floating bottom bracket, an alu-minum frame, a RockShox Boxxer Teamfork with Motion Control Damping, anda Fox DHX-5.0 shock. Components byAvid, Truvativ, Kenda and Sun make theEC-D ready to race. And that’s just whatE.C. plans to do with it.

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ShowWeirdness The strange and unusual

THE WEIRD SCIENCE AWARDMondo Design showed this continuously variable

transmission (CVT) for cycling. It operates on mechani-cal principles. There are no electronics or batteriesrequired. The rider just pedals, and the CVT does therest. There is never a need to shift, because the gearratios are achieved by the relative movement of the satel-lite gears in two AutoG’X discs. The inventors explainedthat when the satellite gears in the first disc are fullyexpanded and the satellite gears of the second disk arefully contracted, you get the largest gear ratio. When thefirst disc is fully contracted and the satellite gears of thesecond disc are fully expanded, you get the smallest gearratio. You pedal, and the transmission reacts to your ped-aling force and the terrain.

Don’t expect to see this licensed by your favoritemountain bike company any time soon. Its applicationwould be better aimed towards riders who frequent rails-to-trails routes. You can e-mail Mondo at [email protected].




FUTURE CHAMP AWARDThe Electra Rockabilly Boogie (reviewed in August 2005) became

such a hit for the company that they are offering a kid-sized version for2006. It is still a little big for some riders, but they can dream. POP-A-WHEELIE AWARD

LOOK-BUT-DON’T-TOUCH AWARDSRAM, RockShox, Truvativ and Avid commissioned an artist to construct these Alien-like creatures out of their components. The results were stunning.

THE CONTRAPTION AWARDNo explanation necessary.

HELPING HAND AWARDThis would either be the best-feeling saddle

you’ve ever ridden, or the creepiest thing you’veever sat on. The Hands-On saddle is availablefrom A&M at (970) 215-8734. Believe it or not, atitanium-rail version is in the works!

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FacesIn TheCrowdThe place to be seen

Cannondale’sDoug Dalton

Nelson “Cheetah” Vails

Tinker Juarez and mom Rose

Stan “NoTubes” KoziatekMichael Broderick and Mary McConneloug

Melissa BuhlKyle Strait, Tara Llanes and Thomas Frischknecht



Brian LopesAlison DunlapShonny Vanlandingham

Kathy PruittFabien Barel

Marla Streb

Steve Peat, Troy Lee and Mike ReddingJohn Tomac

MBA FEATURE

It’s All About AccessMountain bikers play, while our trails are stolen away

R. Cunningham

“P resently, 23 states have proposed wilderness leg-islation in their books. This amounts to hun-dreds of miles of trails that will potentially be

lost to mountain bikers—and that is singletrack. Add in dirtroads and it could easily add up to thousands of miles.”

The words were those of Mark Eller, CommunicationsSpecialist for the International Mountain Biking Association(IMBA). Arguably, IMBA has been the mountain biker’sguardian angel any time the issue of trail access, or the lackthereof, comes into question—at the local and national level.Need a trail? IMBA can provide the how-to information,planning resources, government contacts, and even send atrail crew to oversee the project. More recently, IMBA has

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established a legal fund and a presence in Washington D.C.in order to fend off anti-mountain-bike attacks in the hall-ways and meeting rooms, long before the resulting deci-sions affect your local trails and riding areas. IMBA’sefforts have resulted in a long string of successes in everyland-access arena except for one: the issue of designatedwilderness. For the most part, mountain bikers have simplybeen ignored, while “Jolly Green Giants” like the SierraClub march new wilderness bills through Congress fasterthan a hungry child goes through a bag of M&Ms.

“Wilderness has such a positive value judgmentattached to it, so it’s hard to fight.”

—Mark Eller, IMBA



HOW IT ALL STARTEDEller has a point. In its highest interpretation, the

Wilderness Act is the best thing that has happened to thiscountry’s outdoors since Theodore Roosevelt.

The Wilderness Act was written into law in 1964 to protectthe most pristine and untouched areas from any form of devel-opment and restrict human recreation to the most primitivemeans, banning any form of mechanical transportation. Thelaw carefully specified the minimum size and set strict stan-dards for the quality and primitive nature of an area that couldqualify for wilderness designation. Bicycles are specificallymentioned as mechanical devices, so we were locked outalmost from day one.

What this means is that any land that is designated aswilderness is legally off limits to mountain bikes—forever.

WILDERNESS: FROM SPECIAL TO SPECIOUS Despite some inequities, as written, the Wilderness

Act was a necessary and timely piece of congressionallegislation. Since then, however, the scope of theWilderness Act has been broadened by a dozen acts ofCongress to include virtually any open space of any size.At one time, the existence of man-made features like dirtroads, abandoned railways, mining complexes, ranchesand electrical facilities excluded areas from being desig-nated as wilderness. The size and man-made features

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Access

Soon to be wilderness: A breathtaking view of MountHood—and if you have the lungs and the leg power, youcan explore most everything you can see. Unfortunately,environmental lobbyists in Washington, DC, are workinghard to evict mountain bikers from the back country andcorral us onto resorts and “special use areas.”

We all want the same thing: Being bathedin the natural elements is the core moun-tain bike experience. Bicycles are classifiedas a means of mechanical conveyance inthe language of the Wilderness Act andthus banned from designated wildernesslands. Oddly, with all of their high techgewgaws, whitewater kayaks are not.Clearly, science, not emotional judgments,should determine who and what should beallowed into protected areas.

issues were erased in 1975 by the Eastern Wilderness Act, which was enactedbecause there were few, if any, wild places East of the Mississippi River that weredevoid of man’s handiwork or large enough to qualify for wilderness designation.

This little modification means that lawmakers from any state, who hang out inWashington D.C., can close any patch of land to mountain bike use on the advice ofa lobbyist who may never have visited the place. Such is the present trend, and itleads to the question: If everything now qualifies as “wilderness,” has it lost itsmeaning?

WE CAN’T RIDE BECAUSE NOTHING IS THERE—YETThe Endangered Species Act now protects “critical habitat,” which is any land,

private or public, that could possibly become important to a threatened species at afuture date. At present, a ruling is being considered that will set aside five percentof the state of California (5.4 million acres) as protected habitat for the red leggedfrog—regardless of whether any frogs live there or not.

It can be argued that any wild place is critical habitat and an irreplaceableresource that should be protected for future generations. Just as it can be arguedthat any recreational use of such habitat could be construed as a threat to its wellbeing. The word “argued” is important. During the course of enacting the threephases of the Endangered Species Act (1973, 1978, 1982), Congress voted in strictguidelines for public land managers that outlined how and when plants and ani-mals would be placed on the list. To add teeth to the law, it placed strict timelineson each process—then went one step further and voted, for the first time in histo-ry, to allow private citizens to sue and collect fees from agencies that didn’t comply.

This opened the door for private law firms to force land managers to close areasand put species into the endangered or threatened category simply because thestudy ran over its deadline. Targeting slow-moving and understaffed land managerslike the BLM, Forest Service and Fish and Game is like shooting fish in a barrel, andit costs taxpayers millions each year. The law spawned an environmental legalindustry. The Sierra Club’s Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund and the Center forBiological Diversity head the list.

Civil suits are easier to win because the plaintiff only has to prove “justcause” and not “beyond a reasonable a doubt” as in criminal cases. In the caseof “critical habitat” suits, all that the plaintiff has to prove is that there is evi-dence that if a threatened species happened to find its way to an area, it couldthrive. Because civil lawsuits are easier to win, timelier, and less expensivethan lobbying for votes in D.C., habitat and endangered species suits havebecome the weapon of choice for environmental organizations wanting to

Photo by Gordon Van Zandt


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Mechanical, but human powered: Ridingdeep in the forest near Mount Hood.Unlike hikers and pack animals, mountainbikers cannot stray too far from a pre-pared trail. Our impact on habitat is sub-stantially less than any other user group.Both IMBA and the BRC are hoping for anew, less-restrictive wilderness law thatwill open public lands for appropriateforms of recreation.

It could have been different: When envi-ronmental extremists moved to restrictaccess to a huge block of theHeadwaters Forest in Eureka, California,which logging interests gave up, theBlueRibbon Coalition asked mountainbike and equestrian groups to join in theplanning process. Despite the fact thatOHV use was never planned for the area,the BRC was willing to go to bat so othergroups could use the primitive loggingroads and trails there. Without support,the BRC abandoned the fight.

block development, close trails and expel recreationists from public lands.What this means to mountain bikers is that we can be evicted from our trails by

a law firm in San Francisco, in the name of a plant or animal that doesn’t existwhere we ride and may never live there. No local input and no prior warning nec-essary—“Sorry,” say the park rangers. “We settled out of court, and mountain bik-ers have to leave.”

CAN MOUNTAIN BIKERS WIN THE WILDERNESS GAME?“You guys are going to have to fish or cut bait on this issue. You are wast-

ing your time hoping that mountain bikes will be included into theWilderness Act. That’s just not going to happen.”

—Don Amador, BlueRibbon Coalition

Back in 1984, Clark Collins, the head of an Idaho off-road vehicle club, was testi-fying at a hearing about a proposed wilderness area in the Caribou National Forestthat encompassed a sizeable portion of trails that OHV riders had traditionally usedin the Mink Creek area. Collins hooked up with a Sierra Club representative at thehearing and brought other motorized groups in to work out a way to preserve theOHV trails there.

As Clark puts it, “I got local snowmobile and 4x4 enthusiasts involved in our lit-tle ‘working group,’ and it seemed to be working fine.”

The OHV guys were working hard to put together a compromise, thinking thatthe Sierra Club was negotiating in good faith. When local politicians and theGovernor switched allegiance and backed the existing wilderness plan, Clarksmelled a rat.

“I asked the Sierra Club guy what was up?” writes Collins. “And he said: ‘We havepolitical support for wilderness designation for this area, so we’re going for it.’”

Collins realized that he was a fish swimming with sharks, and that recreational-ists had better get politically involved or they would be “overrun by the wildernessjuggernaut.” He helped organize other recreational groups and eventually won thebattle. Shortly after that, he co-founded the BlueRibbon Coalition in 1987 to headoff trail closures in the future. Today, the BRC has 11,000 members and 1200 busi-ness and organization members. The first line of its mission statement reads:“Secure, protect and expand shared outdoor recreation access and use.” The firstline of its vision statement reads: “Provides leadership in responsible use.”

Wilderness-wise, the BlueRibbon Coalition suffers losses similar to those familiarto the mountain bike community. Perhaps greater, because most of the places weride are already closed to motorized vehicles, and OHV areas are a prime target foranti-recreation forces. The BRC learned quickly, however, that the most successful

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Access

approach to fighting anti-recreationenvironmental groups was to go afterthe same lawmakers as aggressively asthe Jolly Green Giants, with a well-fund-ed legal staff and a broadly based mem-bership that included the OHV indus-try’s support. This year, the BRC specif-ically included mountain bikes in itsmission, primarily because we are alllumped together as mechanical devicesin the eyes of our opposition and in theletter of the wilderness laws.

When asked about the BRC’s positionon wilderness, Western RegionalRepresentative Don Amador explains:“The BRC supports designating it if theland truly meets the 1964 description. Westrongly object to designating land that ispresently used by our constituents.”

PROTECTION WITHOUT EXCLUSION

The BRC has been pushing for a newsecond-tier level of congressional protec-

tion called “Backcountry Designation”to provide a method to permanently pro-tect areas that may or may not qualifyfor wilderness designation, and providefor a broader range of recreational use.The legislation seems like it has broadsupport and a guarded chance of movingthrough Congress. At present, it is withSenator Richard Pombo, Chair of theHouse Committee on Resources.

“The new classification will requireland managers to maintain the primi-tive, rugged nature of our back coun-try areas and emphasize forest healthand fire management.”

Don Amador, BlueRibbon Coalition

Another important aspect of the pro-posed bill is an emphasis on local manage-ment. The present trend of environmentallaw is to remove control from state andlocal land managers and impose theauthority of Washington-based legislatorswho have little or no connection with thespecific region, its resources or its recre-ational user groups.

Amador isn’t blind to the impacts of oursport and the land access problems crop-ping up within the mountain bike commu-nity that OHV riders share—especiallynow that heavier, long-travel bikes arebecoming popular.

“The popularity of both sports has beencausing management issues. A lot morepeople are using trails, yet the budget tosustain these trails is going down. We aregoing to have to find new sources of fund-ing to sustain these activities.”

When asked what mountain bikers cando to stem the tide of land and trail clo-sures, Amador gets right to the point: “Joinand pay! The legal issues cost a lot ofmoney. Become part of an organizationthat will do something to help you.”

IMBA BUILDS BRIDGES“IMBA has still never directly

opposed a wilderness area. We recog-nize that there are places where bicy-cles are not an appropriate use, but wewant land managers to have greaterdiscretion as to what types of recre-ation should be allowed in a wilder-ness area.”

—Mark Eller, IMBA

IMBA was also stung by the SierraClub’s bait-and-switch negotiating tactic.IMBA worked closely with SenatorBarbara Boxer’s staff when she was spear-heading the California Wild HeritageAct—a behemoth wilderness bill that, ifpassed, would have doubled the amount ofdesignated wilderness throughoutCalifornia. IMBA was hopeful that Boxer’sstaff would work with the Sierra Club andother backers of the bill to adjust theboundaries of the proposed areas to pre-serve trail riding opportunities wherevertheir use was compatible. IMBA even wentso far as to work within the bike industryto quell resistance to the bill’s passage. Asthe bill gathered support, however, IMBA’sinput was systematically ignored and thebill went forward without modification.

Not extreme: The lion’s share of mountain bikers dream about exploring beautifulplaces on moderate trails, as far from the hustle of civilization as possible. IMBA hasworked every angle to convey this fact to Federal land managers.

The other kind of threatened: The Red Bud trail, a popularmountain bike route, will beclosed forever if a Northern

California Wilderness bill, number HR233, is passed. P

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Tolerance works both ways: Few mountain bikers know that motor-cyclists put up the routes in Moab, Utah. Elsewhere, hundreds, per-haps thousands of miles of trails and primitive roads were made andare maintained by OHV users—over half of which are now bannedfor motorized vehicles. We should treat responsible OHV riders withthe same tolerance and respect that we wish to receive from hikersand, in a perfect world, from environmental extremists.

So far, so good: The Subaru Trail Care program has been apowerful tool for opening doors and creating bridgesbetween mountain bikers and land managers. Environmentallaw firms, however, are using the courts to drive wedgesbetween pro active user groups and local land managers.

AccessIMBA wasn’t the only agency that Boxer’s bill snubbed. It was

timed to override three years of public and interagency hearings thatthe National Forest Service had conducted to comply with its manda-tory ten-year revised management for California. One of the fiveplans offered up for comment included the vast expanse of newwilderness that was encompassed in Boxer’s bill. Throughout thehearings, however, private citizens and recreational users of all typesvoted against wholesale wilderness designation and opted for a moremoderate plan that the agency eventually adopted. Boxer went aheadwith the bill as if the NFS management plan didn’t exist, and theSierra Club allegedly sued to force the NFS to adopt the more wilder-ness-oriented version of their plan. Does that sound familiar?

IMBA TRIES AGAINBuilding strong relationships with local land managers and various

trail users has been the strength of IMBA. Combined with the addi-tion of legal assistance and a full-time presence in Washington DC,IMBA’s bridge building helped to turn the tide in a landmark VirginiaWilderness bill.

“We were lucky in Virginia, because we had good contactswith mountain bike organizations there. We were able to workwith hunting and hiking groups, and there were many new leg-islators in place.”

—Mark Eller, IMBA

IMBA learned early on about the proposed wilderness in theJefferson National Forest and got busy with local mountain bikegroups to map out the trails that we stood to lose in the original doc-uments. Eventually, the team was able to convince the legislators tore-designate some of the proposed wilderness into “National ScenicAreas.” The new designation permanently protected the lands in

question in pristine condition, while allowing mountain bikeuse and other forms of nondestructive recreation. It was adecisive victory, simply because it proved that compromisewas possible when dealing with pro-wilderness groups. Thefact that we retained a beautiful trail network was a bonus.

IMBA REMAINS HOPEFULArmed with the success in Virginia, IMBA has focused its

attention on Oregon’s proposed Lewis and Clark/MountHood Wilderness, where they hope to strike a similar com-promise. The trail riding opportunities there are well worthsaving, but the West Coast Wilderness advocates are knownfor their “my way or the highway” approach to negotiation.The pendulum, however, may be swinging in IMBA’s direc-tion, as there is a growing resistance among citizens and law-makers alike to massive Wilderness legislation that lumpsmultiple regions into one bill. The Oregon bill may be the lastof its kind. Boxer and the Sierra Club, fearing a defeat, disas-sembled the California Wild Heritage Act into a number ofsmaller wilderness bills.

“We are building a legal defense fund and we havelobbyists in Washington. We want to be prepared tofight this battle when the time comes.”

—Mark Eller, IMBA

The amount of money that it takes to launch and sustainlegal action is staggering. The fact that legal opponents tomountain biking, like the Center for Biological Diversity andEarthjustice, can afford to launch multiple lawsuits shouldraise the red flag for all mountain bikers. In terms of miles oftrails gained versus the amount of time and money that isspent, however, IMBA points out that negotiation has provento be the more effective tool.

“Our whole strategy at IMBA is about buildingalliances and working as a group.”

—Mark Eller, IMBA

WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?There is a land access battle brewing on the horizon, we

can be sure of that. How quickly mountain bikers respond tothe call will ultimately be measured in miles of trail. The bot-tom line is that if we want to continue riding our bikes in themountains, we are going to have to elbow our way inbetween the Green Giants to get there. We want to preservethe landscape as much as anyone else—perhaps more,because we are out there living in it. Both IMBA and the BRCare making headway, but we are outmanned and outgunnedon all flanks. The next logical step is, as Don Amador soaptly put it, “Join and pay.” Contact: www.imba.com (IMBA)or www.sharetrails.org (BlueRibbon Coalition). ❏

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MBA BIKE TEST

FACT Is The Final Act2006 Specialized S-Works Epic Disc

S ince its introduction in 2003, this is thecross-country race bike that all others havehad to compete with. It never mattered that

the Epic was too heavy or too quick handling; itsability to sprint like a hardtail and absorb bumpswith full suspension was simply overwhelming.Specialized set the precedent for stable-platformperformance. Nothing else compared.

CARBON TO THE RESCUEThe bane of the Epic’s design is the size and

necessary rear axle location of the Brain’s terrain-sensing inertia valve damper. At 14.7 ounces, the12-inch-long shock with 4.5-inch Brain reservoirinstantly puts the Epic at a weight disadvantage.It’s an extra half pound that Specialized has toerase elsewhere on the frame. They couldn’t do iton the premier model, and the frame weighed ahefty six pounds, six ounces.

Specialized’s Functional AdvancedComposites Technology (FACT) was first appliedto the Epic in the form of a rear suspension link.That, along with two year’s worth of pruningweight off the aluminum frame, cut almost a fullpound. It was enough to build a 23-pound steedthat became the first suspension bike to win aWorld Championship.

ALMOST AS ONEFor 2006, the S-Works Epic receives the same

FACT Az-1 pseudo-monocoque treatment as theSpecialized Tarmac that Levi Leipheimer took tosixth place in last year’s Tour de France. Pre-molded carbon tubes and fittings are first gluedtogether. To give the job the look and behavior ofmonocoque construction, the S men then wrapand mold the tube junctions with strips of car-bon.

Az-1 takes all the advantages of a monocoquechassis and elevates them to the next level. Itallows full control of the shape, thickness, taper-ing and weave of each tube, specific to each framesize. It gives all of the tuned stiffness and compli-ance of a full monocoque, but with more controlover bottom bracket stiffness, frame twisting, andbest of all, frame weight.

More weight was saved through a tube-con-serving, asymmetrical swingarm with an ounce-crunching butting profile. A medium 2006 S-Works Epic frame (with Brain shock) weighs amore effective five pounds, three ounces.

TWO FLAVORS OF CARBONThe bike you buy will feature disc-specific seat

stays that weren’t done in time to make it ontoour test unit. Specialized also offers a rim brakeversion of the S-Works Epic. The big weight sav-ings on that build are the wheels and tires. The S-Works Epic frame goes for $3800.



Race what we sell: The carbon Epic was finished intime to make the final 2005

World Cup in Scotland. Olympicbronze medal holder Sabine Spitz

rode it to 2nd. The increased travel letsit absolutely fly over braking bumps.

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More for less: FACT Az-1 gives Specialized more freedom tocustom tune frame tubes and fittings. The net result is a framethat weighs 1 pound less, yet has more torsional rigidity for bet-ter handling and explosive response.

Integrity: The bottom bracket isgenerously wrapped in carbonand molded into its final box-likeappearance. On busy singletrackthe FACT Az-1 frame keeps thesteering precise and the bikepedaling with a snappierresponse.

Material matrix: Specializedspared no cost when it cameto saving weight. All linkagehardware is 7075 aluminum.Sealed roller bearing pivotsare used throughout thetrue-to-life, fully active HorstLink suspension.

S-WorksA GOOD LAPSE OF CONCENTRATIONSuperseding the IQ Brain shock is what Specialized calls

Brain Fade. The IQ was an adjustable inertia valve blow-off.Any time you increased sensitivity, you decreased the plat-form on last year’s shock. Brain Fade gives back the opti-mally set platform of the original, with an adjustable bypassbleed port. The latter is the Fade part, which lets the ridertune how forgiving the ride is when pedaling over chatterwhile the Brain is engaged. Fade lets the suspension erase theripples while the rider hammers away on a solid platform.

GEOMETRY CHANGESSpecialized increased the travel by stroking the rear wheel

further into the frame. By doing this they have retained thehalf-degree-slacker head angle given by the longer 3.9-inch-travel fork. The longer-travel fork is a hot upgrade for any ofthe earlier-model Epics (with their 3.1-inch-travel fork andtoo-steep, 71.5-degree head angle).

Another important geometry change is a one-degree-steeper seat angle. For no particularly good reason,Specialized sees a need to spec the Epic with a 0.8-inch set-back post. On the old Epic, the rider sat too far back andfought to get on top of the chassis. The steeper seat tubepushes the front center out and lengthens the wheelbase (a little over half an inch). A shorter stem brings the bar back to status quo. It’s a zero-rise stem to accommodate theslightly taller head tube wth the new-for-2006 integratedheadset. Another big upgrade this year is a higher bottombracket for improved pedal clearance.

SLINGSHOTTING SINGLETRACKThe fit: Tightening the rider compartment with the steep-

er seat angle is one of the best changes for 2006. The rider ismore centered, more upright, more comfortable, and more incommand of power delivery and steering. The SpecializedTi-rail Body Geometry Rival saddle; FACT oversized carbonfive-degree flat bar, and dual-compound Specialized gripscomplement what is finally a more agreeable chassis layout.

Pedal to the carbon: The tighter pilot’s compartmentalone pays big dividends in the power department. Pedalforce is much improved with the rider comfortably on top ofthe crank. The generous top tube keeps the front wheel inbetter contact with the ground when on the gas.Specialized’s claim of the new Epic being 20 percent stiffer isnot hyperbole; you can feel it at the crank. Aboard the 2006,you’re in a much better power position and feel greater inspi-ration to give it your all.

Up the climbs: The Epic is no longer the wandering,over-correcting climber of the past. It still has the quick-steering, narrow, flat bar, but now it’s connected to a wheelthat stays more in control up steep pitches. Even with theBrain Fade bleed closed off—what Fox labels as locked outon the adjuster—the Epic soaks up holes and ruts whenclambering up technical climbs.

Flying back down: Zero-point-four inches doesn’t soundlike that big of an increase in rear travel, but it’s nine percentmore forgiveness that the old Epic was sorely lacking. TheBrain Fade adjuster is very effective. It delivers a new level ofsmall-bump compliance for the Brain shock. This new feelalso aids the rider while launching jumps and skippingwhoops, because the chassis reacts more intuitively. Theadjustable Brain Fade bleed lets the wheel absorb hits evenwhile the inertia valve is filtering out the violent pedalingmotion that would normally cause a bike to bob.

Some may feel slighted by the Fox F100 RLT fork replac-ing last year’s Fox F100X Terralogic inertia valve fork. Theyshouldn’t. The RLT can be tuned to work close to last year’sTerralogic. Set the threshold adjuster at the bottom of theright leg to full firm. Then use the adjustable lockout to cus-tom tune your anti-bob platform.


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Frame material ....................................................Carbon/AluminumFork ................................................................................Fox F100 RLTShock............................................................................Fox Brain FadeRims ....................................................................Mavic CrossMax SLTires ................................Specialized S-Works FasTrak UST (2.0)Hub ......................................................................Mavic CrossMax SLBrakes....................................................................Shimano XTR discBrake levers ..................................................................Shimano XTR

Crankset........................................................................Shimano XTRShifters ................................................Shimano XTR Dual ControlFront derailleur............................................................Shimano XTRRear derailleur ............................................................Shimano XTRChainrings ................................................Shimano XTR (44/32/22)Cassette..........................................................Shimano XTR (11-34)Pedals ............................................................................................NoneHotline ........................................................................(877) 808-8154

Price...$7100Country of origin...Taiwan/China

Weight...25.1 pounds

Size tested ......................................................19"Bottom bracket height ................................13"Chainstay length ........................................16.8"Top tube length ..........................................24.2"Head angle ..................................................70.5°Seat tube angle ..............................................74°Standover height............................................31"Wheelbase ..................................................44.1"Suspension travel (front) ............................3.9"Suspension travel (rear)..............................3.9"

SPECIALIZEDS-WORKS EPIC DISC

EPIC WEAK SPOTSThe S-Works Epic Disc is an amazing racer, but it is not perfect. The

S-Works rider will contend with a few idiosyncrasies. It took channellocks to get the Brain Fade adjuster knob to move the first time. Theknob likes to stick when set to the locked-out position.

The Epic’s bottom-run cables (for the derailleurs) are a maintenancenightmare. Shifting problems occur if you (or your shop) run the cablehousings (and cables) too short. The Epic needs a good sized loop ofhousing below the bottom bracket so the cables don’t bind (or produceghost shifting) when the suspension is bottomed. The bottom-run cablesalso require more attention after riding in extreme conditions.

And while this is not a shootout, there is a bike that beats the S-WorksEpic in a head-to-head race. The bike? The Specialized S-Works Epicwith rim brakes! You save $600, get lighter brakes, wheels that can beconverted to tubeless (more weight savings) and a SRAM drivetrainthat should prove less finicky for Specialized’s bottom-run cable routing.

Finally, are you sitting down? The price tag on the S-Works Epic is amind-numbing and wallet-draining $7100. For that much dinero, we’dlike to see the S-Works offered as a custom-build with every rider giventhe option of choosing brakes (Magura Marta calipers would be sweet),drivetrains, forks and wheels.

THE EPIC RIDESpecialized has spent four years making the Brain shock more forgiv-

ing while competitors have been dialing in their rear suspension to workwith platform shocks like the Fox RP3 or Manitou Swinger. The per-formance gap between the original Specialized/Fox Brain shock andplatform shocks (applied to well-designed suspension) has narroweddramatically during this development period. Today’s dual-suspension,cross-country playing field is more level than in 2003.

The 2006 Epic is a more congruous, all-together package with han-dling far superior to last year’s model. It responds to the demands of themost talented pro-level cross-country racer, but it does all this at a price.Specialized’s decision to use the Brain Fade shock has forced them to useexotic materials in other areas to get the bike’s weight in line with thecompetition, and this puts a premium on the bike.

Can the S-Works Epic Disc still win? Absolutely. Are you willing topay the entry fee? Only you can answer that. ❏

Brain power: Brain Fade custom tunes a smoothertransition between the inertia valve’s locked-out andfull-open positions. More than ever, the Epic floats overbumps while still giving a solid response to pedal input.

Modular: Look carefully and you can see the fine linewhere the carbon wrap is added to strengthen thejoints between each frame member. The piece-by-piece monocoque construction allows for greater control of stiffness and weight.


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Quality, not quantity: The small fieldsmay have been part of the reason for thelight spectator turnout. It was a shame,because the racing was some of thetightest and most exciting of the year.

America’s 2005 National Moun-tain Bike Champions were decid-ed in a one-day battle at

Mammoth Mountain’s Canyon Lodge inMammoth Lakes, California. It was thesecond year that NORBA (the NationalOff-Road Bicycling Association) crownedits champions using the American-citi-zen-only, winner-take-all format insteadof presenting each championship to thetop American points earner in theNORBA National Series.

THE GOODHow is the new one-day system work-

ing? Well, and not so well. The good partis that our borders are protected and for-eigners are kept out. And before you startshouting racism, understand that all thecountries who compete in the NORBANational Series, World Cup Series andthe World Championships go home torace their respective national champi-onships (and Americans are not invited).The decision to stage an American-only,one-day championship puts us on parwith other countries. The absence of for-eign riders changes racing tactics, givingthe National Championship its ownunique feel. Another benefit of the no-temporary-visas format is the chance forour top racers to, in theory, plan theirtraining to peak for the event, which is

ONE MAMMOTH DAY Mountain biking’s 2005 National Champions

MBA FEATURE

very important to their sponsors. ANational Championship win sells morebikes, tires and helmets in America thana fifth place finish at a World Cup run ona grassy field in Europe.

THE BADThe downside of the 2005 National

Championship this year was its timing.The 2005 event fell too late in the rac-ing season. The World Cup Series,NORBA National Series and WorldChampionships had already been put tobed by the time racers trudged toMammoth. Racers didn’t peak forMammoth; they simply tried to survivefor it. NORBA has tentatively sched-uled the 2006 National Championshipstwo months earlier, in July. That shouldreduce the burnout rate.

Choosing Mammoth as the race’svenue is not necessarily a downside, butit does give a marked advantage to rac-ers who live at altitude. Six of the topten men in the cross-country event callColorado home. If you are serious aboutwinning at Mammoth, you need to liveat altitude or sleep in a hypoxic tent.

Finally, spectators stayed away fromthe Mammoth event by the thousands.Take the Canadians out of the cross-country races and the rest of the worldout of the gravity races and you end up

with an event that spectators feel is aparticipant-only spectacle. That attitudeis unfortunate, because even with thethinned-out fields, there were close,exciting, dramatic and decisive battlestaking place in many categories. Thefans who didn’t show missed the show.

THE FASTThousands of riders, from seasoned pros

to first-year beginners, who had qualifiedfor the Nationals through local events, bat-tled for 158 National Championship jer-seys over four days of racing. There weremore stars and stripes at Mammoth than ata Fourth of July parade.

Once the dust had settled (andMammoth has no lack of the stuff), rac-ers loaded battered bodies and bikes intotheir team vehicles and headed down thebig mountain in a long caravan. Eachcompetitor was leaving Mammoth withthe promise to return next July to defenda title or avenge a loss.

Blow-by-blow race reports of the profes-sional events at Mammoth are posted onour website at www.mbaction.com.




Mountaincross: “The year was really rough—this is agood piece of redemption,” said Eric Carter (1), referring

to his many injuries and then capping the year with hisbig win. “It feels good to get one for the guys and showthat Mongoose is on the map as far as high-end goes.”

66 www.mbaction.com

Mountaincross: Thenewly crowned 2005

World 4-CrossChampion didn’t have

a cake walk to hernational championship.

Jill Kintner was takenout during practice by

her own teammate!She brushed herself off

and then brushed offher competition. This

young racer could verywell dominate moun-

taincross for the rest ofthis decade.

Short track and Super D:Adam Craig camethrough the Super Dcourse so fast that spec-tators grabbed their kidsand jumped back. Theman was flying. He wonhis second NationalChampionship jersey byusing perfect tacticsagainst GT’s Todd Wellsin the short track event(and getting a gift in theform of Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski’s flat tire).

MAMMOTH



Short track: ShonnyVanlandingham was walkingaway with the cross-countryrace until she punctured her

front tire near the end of the lastlap. A lesser rider would have

cracked. Shonny was disappoint-ed, but she didn’t let it show.

She came back the next day tobury her competition and domi-

nate the short track.

Super D: KelliEmmett chose

to use hercross-country

race bike onthe long

MammothSuper D

course. It wasa wise deci-

sion. She lefther competi-

tion in theMammoth

dust.

Inspiration:Ned Overendfinished on thecross-countrypodium in celebration ofrecently turn-ing 50! By theway, Ned wasracing the proclass, not the50+ class. JayHenry, whofinished justbehind Ned,said, “I wasgetting tired ofpeople yelling,‘Don’t let thatold man beatyou.’”

MAMMOTH

68 www.mbaction.com



Downhill: Melissa Buhl is one ofthose riders who thrive under

pressure. With Kathy Pruitt andApril Lawyer breathing down her

neck, Melissa unleashed her limited-edition KHS downhill bike

to set the winning time.


http://www.promologicusa.com

http://www.suomityres.fi

70 www.mbaction.com

Cross country: Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski’s blis-tering pace wore down early challenges from

Adam Craig and a newly un-retired WalkerFerguson until JHK had built up a comfortable

lead. Only GT’s Todd Wells had a shot at thechampionship after that, but JHK would have

had to have cracked. He didn’t.

Cross country: MaryMcConneloug was in theright place at the righttime to take advantage ofShonny Vanlandingham’smisfortune (a flat fronttire). Mary pounced in thefinal meters of the raceto take the champion-ship, proving that a riderfrom sea level could winat Mammoth.

MAMMOTH


72 www.mbaction.com

Pro Men Cross CountryRider, age, state, time

1. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski*, 27, CO, 1:50:39.872. Todd Wells, 30, CO, 1:54:32.453. Adam Craig, 24, OR, 1:55:38.804. Walker Ferguson, 23, CO, 1:56:08.80 5. Ned Overend, 50, CO, 1:56:24.586. Jay Henry, 30, CO, 1:57:09.107. Michael Broderick, 32, MA, 2:00:04.888. Carl Decker, 30, OR, 2:00:26.669. Cody Peterson, 26, CO, 2:01:38.90

10. Erik Tonkin, 31, OR, 2:02:19.89

Pro Women Cross CountryRider, age, state, time

1. Mary McConneloug*, 34, MA, 1:40:54.042. Alison Dunlap, 36, CO, 1:41:03.463. Willow Koerber, 28, NC, 1:41:03.874. Shonny Vanlandingham, 36, TX, 1:41:39.855. Susan Haywood, 34, WVA, 1:41:53.546. Heather Irmiger, 26, CO, 1:41:56.367. Dara Marks-Marino, 30, AZ, 1:43:25.918. Georgia Gould, 25, ID, 1:45:16.779. Kathy Sherwin, 32, UT, 1:45:33.63

10. Kelli Emmett, 28, CO, 1:48:27.12

Pro Men Short Track Rider, age, state

1. Adam Craig*, 24, OR2. Todd Wells, 30, CO3. Carl Decker, 30, OR4. Cody Peterson, 26, CO5. Alan Obye, 23, CO6. Brian Laiho, 28, CO7. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, 27, CO8. Ross Schnell, 23, CO9. Chris Eatough, 31, MD

10. Michael Broderick, 32, MA

Downhill: Cody Warrencrashed his brains outin the mountaincross,tweaking his ankle sobadly that it was doubt-ful he would race thedownhill event. Codysucked it up, ignoredthe pain, squeezed hisswollen foot into a shoeand smoked everyone.This young rider hasmany championshipsahead of him, but he’llalways rememberMammoth 2005. ❏

MAMMOTH


FAST PRO FINISHERS2005 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTSPro Women Short Track Rider, age, state

1. Shonny Vanlandingham*, 36, TX2. Dara Marks-Marino, 30, AZ3. Susan Haywood, 34, WVA4. Mary McConneloug, 34, MA5. Heather Irmiger, 26, CO6. Georgia Gould, 25, ID7. Kerry Barnholt, 33, CO8. Alison Dunlap, 36, CO9. Kathy Sherwin, 32, UT

10. Sara Bresnick-Zocchi, 30, MA

Pro Men Super DRider, age, state, time

1. Adam Craig*, 24, OR, 20:11.452. Mike West, 31, CO, 20:44.293. Bryson Perry, 26, UT, 21:12.854. Chris Eatough, 31, MD, 21:29.905. Sam Schultz, 20, CO, 21:35.536. Ross Schnell, 23, CO, 21:36.247. Amon Pease, 28, CA, 21:41.648. Brian Laiho, 28, CO, 21:47.269. Jason Moeschler, 26, CA, 21:51.86

10. Michael Broderick, 32, MA, 22:27.03

Pro Women Super DRider, age, state, time

1. Kelli Emmett*, 28, CO, 25:02.052. Jamie Whitmore, 29, CA, 25:34.923. Dara Marks-Marino, 30, AZ, 25:36.424. Susan Haywood, 34, WVA, 25:36.505. Lorien Lightfield, 35, ID, 26:08.136. Elke Brutsaert, 37, CO, 26:39.55 7. Tonya Laffey, 32, Colorado, 26:48.448. Heather Svahn, 31, CA, 26:50.939. Sara Bresnick-Zocchi, 30, MA, 26:56.68

10. Mary McConneloug, 34, MA, 27:01.17

Pro Men Downhill Rider, age, state, time

1. Cody Warren*, 20, CA, 4:05.882. Chris Van Dine, 25, PA, 4:14.283. Justin Havukainen, 21, CA, 4:14.294. Duncan Riffle, 19, CA, 4:14.375. Evan Turpen, 20, CA, 4:15.956. David KlaassenVanOorschot, 22, CA, 4:16.437. Rich Houseman, 27, CA, 4:18.498. Colin Bailey, 26, CA, 4:19.679. Aaron Peters, 26, CA, 4:20.08

10. Luke Strobel, 19, WA, 4:20.28

Pro Women Downhill Rider, age, state, time

1. Melissa Buhl*, 23, AZ, 4:46.392. Kathy Pruitt, 23, CA, 4:52.663. April Lawyer, 30, OR, 4:53.174. Amelia Colasurdo, 28, WA, 5:13.155. Wendy Reynolds, 24, UT, 5:15.226. Kote Driscoll, 26, CA, 5:16.977. Jackie Harmony, 27, AZ, 5:20.248. Tenille Smith, 23, CA, 5:23.199. Danni Connolly, 23, CA, 5:23.23

10. Jennifer Jones, 27, WA, 5:54.34

Pro Men MarathonRider, age, state, time

1. Travis Brown*, 36, CO, 4:18:11.612. Jay Henry, 30, CO, 4:21:45.333. Chris Eatough, 31, MD, 4:27:52.434. Michael McCalla, 28, UT, 4:31:18.595. Nat Ross, 34, CO, 4:31:47.036. David Yakaitis, 32, CA, 4:33:34.117. Michael Lee, 39, CA, 4:39:48.088. Arlo Buijten, 35, CA, 4:46:20.139. Manuel Prado, 24, CA, 5:23:10.59

10. James Williams, 25, CA, 5:23:10.69

Pro Women MarathonRider, age, state, time

1. Gretchen Reeves*, 34, CO, 4:56:06.842. Monique Sawicki, 25, CA, 5:09:02.153. Mandy Eakins, 35, CA, 5:47:02.774. Shari Hausbeck, 34, CO, 5:59:19.625. Hillary Harrison, 31, WA, 6:12:35.34

Pro Men Mountaincross Rider, age, state

1. Eric Carter*, 35, CA2. Brian Schmith, 32, CA3. Rich Houseman, 27, CO4. Chris Powell, 23, CA

Pro Women Mountaincross Rider, age, state

1. Jill Kintner*, 24, CA2. Melissa Buhl, 23, AZ3. Kathy Pruitt, 23, CA4. Tara Llanes, 29, CA

(*2005 NORBA National Champion)

http://xpedo.com

ABOUT CHROMAGAfter leaving the retail world, Ian set out to create a family

of products that he wanted to use, resolving flaws he found incurrent designs. According to Fritz, Chromag’s success is theresult of living in such a mountain bike oriented community.

“I created some designs, met a good welder, and learnedabout what it took to make the process a reality.”

Chromag was born in 2000 when the first frame, the TRL,was made. Fritz was intent on building quality frames andcomponents, uniquely targeted towards the demanding anddiverse trails of Whistler. Although a small operation (just afew people make Chromag happen), it offers three steel hard-tail frames (with a six-inch-travel suspension frame in theworks), stems, and handlebars.

“My frames combine the simplicity of classic steel hardtailswith modern features and angles catering to today’s ridersand terrain,” explains Fritz. Although the current frames arehardtails, there’s more than meets the eye. “We use a lot ofCNC-machined dropouts and yokes. The CNC capabilities areamazing these days, but it’s not common to steel. It’s particu-larly difficult and hard to tool,” says Fritz.

THE FRAMESTRL: The original Chromag design, the TRL is a hardtail

made from 4130 chromoly. This is no cross-country hardtail.It is a frame made to withstand the abuse of Whistler, dayafter day,

The TRL has vertical dropouts and disc brake mountsdesigned to eliminate brake flex and frame fatigue. Reinforcedhead and seat tubes optimize overall strength. The TRL willfeature the RockShox Maxle quick-release-style rear through-axle for increased rigidity.

Samurai: Named after the famous cult bike race “Samuraiof Singletrack,” it’s a trimmed down version of the TRL,tougher than most steel hardtails, but light enough for anoccasional cross-country race.

Gypsy: Built from 4130-chromoly tubing, the Gypsy is anall-purpose trailbike with an emphasis on jumping and moun-taincross. It features the same construction as the TRL, butoffers more standover height and quicker handling geometry.All models sell for around $915.


Chromag: More human bikes & components

MBA FEATURE

Made in Canada: Ian Ritz wrenches on one of his Chromagbikes. There are currently three hardtails available, and a sus-pension frame in the works.

Good start: The TRL frame design is the steel hardtail thatgot the Chromag ball rolling. It’s evolved into a proven all-mountain design and incorporates new technology likeRockShox Maxle rear through-axle.

“I don’t have formal training in engineering ordesign, but when I want to make something bet-ter, I believe I can do it,” says Ian Fritz, Chromag

founder. A Whistler resident since 1989, Fritz owned theEvolution bike shop in the Whistler village during thetransformation of the Whistler ski hill into the Whistlermountain bike hill.

“The shop was a major influence in my decision tomake bikes and components,” says Fritz. “I learned a lotabout which products worked, the ones that didn’t, andmost importantly, what people were looking for in amountain bike.”

76 www.mbaction.com

A FEW GOOD MENTHE CHROMAG CREW

Ian Ritz–Founder/Creator● Ian has been involved in mountain biking for over 14 yearsas a rider, competitor, mechanic, designer, and bike storeowner. In 1994 he founded Evolution Bike Shop, whichquickly became the locals’ favorite and played a major role indeveloping the freeride scene in Whistler. Ian is responsiblefor the design process and the creation of Chromag products.

Mike Truelove–Master frame builderMike has been welding steel bikes for over twenty years,

and his level of perfection shows in the meticulous detailof each frame. He is a longtime rider and a force to be reck-oned with at the local races.

Pete Hammonds–MachinistPete has been a machinist for over fifteen years and has

developed bike products for many well-known brands.

Tyler Morland–Team manager, head mechanicAn accomplished racer and mechanic, Tyler is a valu-

able player in the Chromag family. Tyler is known for hisextensive knowledge of suspension tuning and is reliedupon by many local competitors and riders. Tyler hasproven himself a formidable competitor in the downhillrace scene with a history of top finishes, including firstplace at Mount 7 in Golden, first place at the B.C.Nationals, and first place in the Air DH in Whistler.

Kevin Phelps–Team rider, product tester“The Caged Animal,” Kevin is strong. He once tore a

handlebar in half right off either side of the stem, then herode home on 20 kilometers of singletrack holding on tothe stem with one hand and the dangling brake levers withthe other. ●

Chromag stems: The Chromag stems are beautifully CNCmachined, and available in two versions, the Softblock andCutblock. Both stems have rounded edges to be more body-friendly, and prices range from $50-85.

Torture tested: The TRL is the original Chromag frame design.Here Ritz takes off for the over-17-minute Red Bull Psychosisdownhill race in Golden, B.C., Canada. Ian took third and fel-low Chromag rider Kevin Phelps won the hardtail division.

FUBARS: The Chromag handlebars are available in 6061 and7075 aluminum. Both types feature a 1.5-inch rise and are 28inches wide. Handlebars cost between $55 and $65.

OUT AND ABOUTIf the brand Chromag rings a bell, it’s possible you spotted

their stems on Iron Horse/Mad Catz rider Sam Hill’s Insidethe Pros’ Bikes feature (MBA, June, 2005), or on CanadianNational Downhill Champion Tyler Morland’s race bike.

Chromag has been working to develop components likedirect-mount stems for the Marzocchi 888 and RockShoxBoxxer forks, and already incorporates new technologies likethe Maxle from RockShox.

“I’d like to develop more components to go on bikes,” saysFritz. “I’ve got plans for some new products. I can’t be toospecific yet, but I’m going to expand the product line and beinnovative whenever I can.”

For more information on Chromag, call (604) 938-3869.


78 www.mbaction.com



MBA BIKE TEST

Race-Ready RipperRiding The 2006 Specialized Demo 8 II

W e tested the versatile Specialized Demo 9 (MBA, August 2004) andraved about its plush travel and big-hit capabilities, but there wereweaknesses. In trying to keep both downhill racers and black-diamond-

trail resort riders happy with one bike, Specialized had to make some compro-mises. The bike needed geometry tweaks and component changes to make it nim-ble enough to rank it among the upper-echelon downhill rigs.

Specialized cured this dilemma by offering their Demo in two distinct flavors,the 8 and the 9. The Demo 8 is a trimmed-down version of the 9, with eight inch-es of travel instead of nine. The 8 has a slightly lower bottom-bracket, and a lighterframe was achieved by using a longer downtube and less forging around the bot-tom bracket. The Demo 8 has 135-millimeter rear wheel spacing to fit standarddropout wheelsets and hubs. This is a bike built for downhill racing.

DEMO RIDEWe scored a new Demo 8 during the Crankworx festival in Whistler, B.C.,

Canada, and ripped it through the world-class terrain. Here’s how it performed.Pedaling: The Demo 8 uses Specialized’s patented FSR suspension, with a

sub-seatpost-actuated shock. For a bike with eight inches of front and rear travel,the Demo 8 pedals exceptionally well, with a very efficient transfer of power fromthe crank arms to the rear wheel.

80 www.mbaction.com

Demo 8

Top shelf: The Fox 40 RC2 fork hasvaulted to the top of the list of high-enddownhill forks. It’s got eight inches oftravel and weighs less than sevenpounds.

Fly high: The 42-pound Demo 8 is unexpectedly light, and can be flicked aroundwith ease. This is a racebike with serious podium potential.

The Fox DHX 5.0 shock has anadjustable pedaling platform to mini-mize pedal bob and help fine-tune riderpositioning in the cockpit. Riders prefer-ring platform pedals can’t go wrong withSpecialized’s Lo-Pro Magnesium pedalswith removable pins and oversizeChromolly axles. They are awesome.The swap from a Shimano XT rearderailleur to the SRAM X.0 means crispshifting, and the stiffer spring eliminatesthe annoying chainstay slap of Shimanodesigns.

Jumping: Although the Demo 8frame has a tangled and complicatedappearance, with tubing seemingly flow-ing in all directions, it delivers refinedfinesse in the air. After all, this is thebike that Kyle Strait used to win the lastRed Bull Rampage. The surprisinglynimble Demo 8 weighs 42 pounds.That’s almost three pounds lighter thansimilar high-profile bikes like the SantaCruz V10 and Intense M3.

The Fox suspension is very riderfriendly, and practically tuneable with-out any tools. The Fox 40 RC2 forkcomes stock with titanium springs andhas externally adjustable high- and low-speed compression—perfect for tuningfor optimum performance on the facesof jumps and landings.

Cornering: Blasting berms and rail-ing corners is made simple with the

Demo 8’s low center of gravity and standover height. The Demo 8 corners with asensation of driving through turns with the cranks and bottom bracket. TheChunder tires are meaty, but have a smooth-rolling ramped tread, and the side knobsoffer sufficient bite through off-camber terrain.

Technical: Whether taking flight or rumbling through rocks and roots, the Fox-equipped Demo 8 exceeded all expectations. The Fox RC2 fork, with 40-millimeterstanchions, weighs less than seven pounds, features externally adjustable rebound,compression and preload, and smoothes even the surliest terrain. When in doubt onsteep technical trails, lean back and ride the 40 to safety. The 36-hole Mavic EX721rims seem bombproof, taking the brunt of drops and rock hits.

Braking: The versatile Avid Juicy Seven brakes have been at the top of our pre-mium brake list for a while now. The Speed Dial adjustment controls the pad con-tact point with the rotor without compromising power. Whether set up on a four-inch-travel trailbike or an eight-inch beast like the Demo 8, the Juicy Sevens havesuperb stopping power.


82 www.mbaction.com

Frame material ..................................................................AluminumFork ..................................................................................Fox 40 RC2Shock..............................................................................Fox DHX 5.0 Rims ................................................................................Mavic EX721Tires ......................................................Specialized Chunder (2.3")Hub (front) ........................Specialized disc through-axle (front),

disc bolt on axle (rear)Brakes........................................................................Avid Juicy SevenBrake levers ............................................................Avid Juicy Seven

Crankset ..............................................................Truvativ HolzfellerShifters ................................................................................SRAM X.9Front derailleur........................Blackspire DS-1 lexan chainguideRear derailleur ..........................................SRAM X.0 carbon cageChainrings ......................................................................Truvativ (36)Cassette ......................................................SRAM 9-speed (11-34)Pedals ............................Specialized Lo-Pro Magnesium platform Hotline ......................................................................(877) 808-8154

Price...$4,900Country of origin…Taiwan

Weight...42 pounds

Frame size ..............................................MediumBottom bracket height .......................... 14.25"Chainstay length........................................ 16.7"Top tube length ........................................ 21.5" Head angle ......................................................66°Seat tube angle ..............................................65°Standover height............................................31"Wheelbase .................................................... 47"Suspension travel (front)................................8"Suspension travel (rear)..............................8.1"

SPECIALIZED DEMO 8 II

Big surprise: The Demo 8’s low center of gravity and sticky rubbercompound tires make it corner like a champ.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER?Accessing the shock tuning knobs is tricky, as

the shock sits in a cradle of the 8’s frame. Thatissue isn’t uncommon with downhill bikes. TheOury grips aren’t our favorite, and we would prefer some of the locking variety (like the LizardSkins Moab) on a bike with the capabilities of theDemo 8.

During our testing period in Whistler, we heardrumblings from local riders of 2005 8s breakingaround the shock cradle. This could be caused bythe weight savings achieved in that area comparedto the Demo 9. Specialized claims to haveaddressed that issue for the 2006 Demo 8 frames.We never experienced any frame problems, but weused the Demo 8 for its intended purpose—down-hill racing. Use your head when choosing betweenthe Demo 8 and 9. If you’re a racer looking for on-course performance, go for the 8. If your idea ofriding is launching Empire State Building-sizedrops, the Demo 9 is the better choice.

ONE OF A KINDNo downhill race bike the MBA wrecking crew

has ridden feels like the Demo 8. It successfullycombines characteristics of two custom downhilldesigns into one all-inclusive package. The Demo 8plows through gnarly terrain with the ease of aFoes Mono DH, yet is as nimble as the maneuver-able Turner DHR.

The Demo 8 has a topnotch component spec andexcellent geometry for downhill racing. If you’re adedicated downhiller looking for a high-end rig,you could pursue a high-zoot custom frame makerand tackle the headache of building it up fromscratch. Or simply contact your local Specializeddealer, grab a Demo 8 and hit the course this week-end. ❏


86 www.mbaction.com

I ron Horse designer Dave Weagle isresponsible for the soon-to-be-patented DW-Link rear suspension

system. To put the design (and Dave) tothe test, we joined him for a day of ridingaboard his latest lightweight racing sled,

the 2006 Iron Horse Azure Team. In thisway, intellectual readers and those of uswho get more from a hands-on approachto learning can both enjoy this interest-ing and informative conversation.

Dave Weagle was a ten-year-old radio-

control off-road car addict when hecame across a magazine interview fea-turing his hero, Gil Losi. Losi, who dom-inated RC competition at that time andwent on to found the model manufac-turing company by the same name,

MBA FEATURETake A RideWith IronHorse’s

Brain TrustA conversation

with Dave WeagleR. Cunningham

Larger than life: DaveWeagle, at 30 yearsold, is enjoying aheaping spoonful ofthe good life. His DW-Link suspensiondesign is winningWorld Cups and is indemand among topbike makers. Davestands beside the IronHorse Sunday—thedownhiller that SamHill campaigned onlast season.



raved about his new dual-suspensionmountain bike throughout the inter-view. An inspired Weagle pored overevery book and periodical on the sub-ject, vowing that he would buy onewhen the funds were available. Tenyears later, Dave graduated with amechanical engineering degree fromWentworth College and popped for aSanta Cruz Superlight.

“I was always interested in suspen-sion,” says Dave. “It was by far thecoolest aspect of RC cars, but it was theSuperlight that started me on a quest todiscover everything I could find on thesubject.”

Weagle’s big break came when he land-ed a job at Selectrix, an electric automo-bile maker. During his brief stay there,Dave worked on the composite-body“Sunrise” vehicle that still holds therecord for driving over 370 miles on a sin-gle charge. The suspension engineersthere introduced him to kinetic engineer-ing as it relates to linkages, shock ratesand roll-centers.

“I used my computer to map out allthe popular mountain bike suspen-sions,” says Weagle. “And when I com-pared the information that I learnedwith the claims that the bike companiesmade about their suspension perfor-mance… well, I realized that most oftheir claims couldn’t be true. I took my

data back to my professors atWentworth just to insure that

I wasn’t crazy, and theyagreed. From that

point, I was on aquest.”

FROM CARSTO

MOUNTAINBIKES

Dave’s firstforay into bikebuilding was aseries of hard-tails. Once he

figured outwhat it took to

get the properstrength and han-

dling, he loaded allof his knowledge into

his trusty computer andset out to make his first

dual-suspension chassis—adual-link system adapted to an off-

the-shelf aluminum front triangle. “I borrowed 30 grand and started

making prototypes,” Weagle laughs.“And if Iron Horse had not stepped inand asked me to work with them, Iwould have been manufacturing ‘EvilBikes’ right now. Iron Horse offered mea licensing deal and offered to fund anypatents that I applied for.”

Dave’s dictionary: According to Weagle, the rider’s center of gravity is just infront of his navel (1). When the bicycle accelerates forward (2), the rider rocksbackward, compressing the shock. The suspension’s linkage arms create animaginary line of force that neutralizes this “squat.” Pedal feedback (3) is mini-mal because the chainstay length does not change appreciably.

Another take on “instant center”: The DW Link causes the swingarm to rotateabout a point just behind the front wheel. This allows the suspension to operateto some degree under braking. The instant center constantly changes because itis formed by the intersection of two lines that pass through the center of theupper and lower links.

ANTI-SQUATEXPLAINED

88 www.mbaction.com

● The Azure, Iron Horse’s premier cross-country platform, is completely new for2006, with flared and taper-butted maintubes, a redesigned front section, and alighter, more-refined rear suspension. The’06 model represents the East-Coast bikemaker’s first shot at a true cross-countryracing bike, and at 26 pounds, it’s almostthere. Iron Horse had one prepared with Shimano XTR everything—evenwheels—for MBA to test ride at BootlegCanyon in conjunction with the Las VegasInterbike show’s Dirt Demo.

Those who have witnessed Bootleg’snetwork of cross-country and downhilltrails know that good suspension andkeeping air in your tires is key to survivingthe steep volcanic ridges and irregular lavafoothills just north of Boulder City,Nevada. It is a perfect proving ground fora featherweight racing chassis that wasdesigned to handle the rigors of the Proracing circuit.

“Set the shock and fork so they have 25-percent sag,” advised Dave Weagle. “Thelinkage will take care of the pedaling, soyou won’t need to use much platform inthe shock. You want the suspension to betransparent when you are riding.”

He was right. When we hit the trail, theAzure would remain firm under power—very firm, while the shock was cyclingsmoothly. With too much air in the shock,the rear end felt excessively harsh. Upfront, Iron Horse chose a Fox inertia-valveFloat 100-X fork that complemented theAzure’s 3.5-inch-travel anti-squat suspen-sion by keeping the bike riding level andfeeling balanced in just about any situa-tion.

The medium-frame Azure we rode hada 22.5-inch top tube—perfect for ridersaround five feet, seven inches. There isone size smaller and two larger, so every-one should be able to choose the perfect

size bike. The radically sloping top tubehas twin struts that reinforce the seat tubejunction. This gives the Azure a good dealof stand-over height and eliminates lastyear’s bent top tube. Dave chose conven-tional racing geometry (71-degree headangle, 73-degree seat angle, 12.5-inch bot-tom bracket, and 16.875-inch chainstays),which feels just right for this minimallysuspended machine.

Out-of-the-saddle sprints feel explosive.There is no better fork than the Fox 100-X for racers who want road-bike accelera-tion on the dirt. Combine this with a rearsuspension that never wallows, evenunder the hardest effort, and you get theability to remain in the middle chainringon climbs where most are relegated to thegranny. It’s really that good.

Previous Iron Horse cross-countrymachines always felt heavier and less pre-cise in the steering department when wepushed them hard on dicey singletrack.This was not the case with the Azure. Itgot around the corners and followed ourinstructions with that Rolex Watch feelthat we rarely attribute to any cross-coun-try racing bike, and only once in a bluemoon to a brand that, until lately, wasknown more for value pricing than Pro-level performance. We had to remind our-selves that we were on an Iron Horse.

“Pedal backwards,” said Dave, who wasalready doing so. “Watch the shock move.Then pedal forward and see what hap-pens.”

True to his word, the shock would bobin response to our weight when we spunthe cranks in reverse, but it stayed calm inthe normal pedaling mode. The shuttle tothe top of the downhill course was a 45-minute wait, so I talked Dave, who lives inperfectly flat Martha’s Vineyard, intoclimbing to the summit—a 2100-footascent. On the way up, we discussed setup

and frame geometry. Dave believes thattoo much platform ruins the way that adual-suspension bike feels. His DW-Link’santi-squat action only occurs in the firstthird of the suspension travel, and thentapers to nothing as the suspension fur-ther compresses.

“By that time, the shock spring is sotightly compressed,” says Dave, “that ped-aling forces or mass-transfer aren’t goingto affect the suspension anyway.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, theAzure’s dual-link rear suspensionremained very functional while we wereclimbing, and this held true when we weresoft pedaling while seated, or trying tobreak a chain, powering up a steep rockface. The Azure was capable of picking itsway up some impossibly steep and rockysingletracks. Weagle explained that thesuspension stays active because his sus-pension counters your body’s mass-trans-fer and doesn’t use chain tension to effec-tively stiffen the shock.

The moment of truth came when wedecided to descend on Bootleg Canyon’sdownhill course. Less than four inches ofsuspension and 1.9 inch tires were causefor a few religious experiences on the tripdown, but all in all, the Iron Horse did asuperior job of it. If we hadn’t run out oftime, we would have given the downhillcourse a go one or three times more.

SO, WHAT DID WE THINK?Well, if this is the Iron Horse that you

can buy at your local dealer, we can hon-estly give the Azure the MBA stamp ofapproval as a competitive cross-countryracer. Add this day’s positive results toSam Hill’s performance in the World CupDownhill, and Iron Horse gets the goldmedal for the turnaround of the century.There is no doubt that much of the creditgoes to a 30-year-old East-Coast designer. ●

MEET THEIRON HORSE AZURE

PRO-LEVELCROSS-COUNTRY

CONTENDER

Desert rose: MBAtest rode the Iron

Horse Azure—a3.5-inch travelpro-level cross

country racer—atBootleg Canyon,

Nevada. DaveWeagle found aperfect balance

between ultra-firmpedaling and sup-

ple suspensionperformance. The

Azure was our testbed for the DW-Link technology.


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• genuine full grain leather cover• superlight foam• D2™ full carbon fiber base• titanium rails• 270mm x 130mm• 186 grams

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ADVANTAGEB E N E F I T S

IRON HORSE AND THE DW-LINKDave turned 30 this year and can

proudly state that the entire Iron Horsedual-suspension lineup uses a form ofhis DW-Link dual-suspension design.The crown jewel of his design work isthe fact that Sam Hill, the only down-hiller to soundly beat Greg Minnaar andTeam Honda on last year’s World CupCircuit, did so aboard a production DW-Link Iron Horse “Sunday.”

DW-Link refers to a pair of levers, oneabove and one positioned below a trian-gulated swingarm, which articulatealong a very specific arc. Weagle’s link-age geometry is configured to preventpedaling-related suspension bob. Hecalls this action “anti-squat,” and it isthe pivotal function of all of his designs.Dave explains that the weight of therider affects the suspension far morethan any mechanical function of thebicycle itself. The mass of your unbal-anced body moving in rhythm and yourlegs swinging up and down activate theshock to some degree. According toDave, however, the major source of sus-pension bob in the rear is caused whenthe rear suspension squats as the sheer

weight of the rider, perched high abovethe bicycle, rocks backward as eachstroke of the pedals accelerates the bicy-cle forward.

ANTI-SQUAT“Once I discovered that the rider’s

mass transfer was the main cause of sus-pension bobbing,” explains Weagle, “Iknew that I could use a linkage to createan opposing acceleration that was direct-ed at the rider’s center of mass. That’swhat creates the anti-squat function. Iwrote a computer program that could lit-erally generate thousands of linkageconfigurations. Then I had to search forone that would work through the rangeof movement that was typical for a bicy-cle suspension.”

What that means is that when we areriding a bicycle, our body’s center of massis roughly at our navel. So our body willrock back and forth above the bike like apendulum each time we push on the ped-als—unless something counteracts it.Weagle’s linkage geometry creates justenough of an opposing force to preventsuspension squat, but not so much that itoverwhelms its ability to absorb thebumps. There is such a fine line betweena perfect anti-squat and poor suspensionperformance that Weagle uses differentlinkage configurations for downhill,cross-country racing and trail bikes.

“I had been working on the anti-squatproblem for a year,” says Dave. “Then, Iwas just lying in bed one night and thewhole thing just came to me at once.”

Of course, nothing really comes thateasily. Weagle’s discovery that mass-transfer was the main cause of suspen-sion bobbing, and his subsequent dis-covery of the DW-Linkage, had a glaringloophole: braking forces acted in thereverse direction. It took a lot of com-puter time and a lot of testing beforeWeagle figured out how to cause hislinkages to work their magic in bothdirections. The key was to align theupper and lower links so that an imagi-nary line along each link intersectedwell ahead of and slightly above the bot-tom bracket. This frees up the rear sus-pension to some degree to operateunder braking. Braking forces also acton the links to pull the rear suspensiondown slightly, which prevents the forkfrom diving through its travel.

In addition to his consulting job withIron Horse, Dave also runs “EThirteen,” a component company thatmakes a variety of roller guides anddownhill accessories. We asked Dave ifhe felt lucky to be a cutting-edge moun-tain bike designer at such a youthful age.His answer was typically Dave Weagle:

“My life’s been a long string oflucky.” ❏

Iron Horse’sBrainTrust

http://www.velosaddles.com

90 www.mbaction.com

C alvin Brownlee from Bikes OnHoward says it best. “Mostpeople from California can’t

even imagine what it’s like. FromNovember through March we get a lotof snow here in North CentralMinnesota. It can get down to 40degrees below. It’s hard to ride in thedeep snow, but as soon as it packs, theriding is real good. Yes, it’s prettyharsh at ten below. Yet, we still havepeople who go out all the time. Winterriding becomes a lot more tolerablewhen it warms to ten degrees.”

NORTHERN EXPOSUREMBA knows all about riding in the

cold and wet. But there’s a big differencebetween living in the snow for a weekand freezing your Lycra off for half ayear. To serve up the hottest range ofwinter riding tips and setups, we enlist-ed the aid of the experts:

Calvin Brownlee of Bikes On Howardin Hibbing, Minnesota. John Bielik of Benidorm Bikes inCanton, Connecticut.Todd Phelps of Black River AdventuresShop in Watertown, New York.

WinterTransitions

Paul Belknap of Bay City Cycle inAshland, Wisconsin.Dan Remsen of Kulshan Cycles inBellingham, Washington.

All ride and all live where it’s coldand wet for half the year. We broughtthem together to form MBA’s WinterRiding Dream Team. After a few toomany lattes, a round-robin tech session,and in between some serious snowballslinging, we jotted down every tip weheard.

Pre-Winter Prep: Our dream teamunanimously recommended that youbring your bike in for a complete over-haul heading into the winter season.“When the hubs are freshly packed,the bearings will be able to withstandthe elements without immediatelydestroying things. At the same time,make upgrades to the cables andhydraulic lines as needed, as well assuspension adjustments. As soon as itstarts to warm up again, we tell cus-tomers to bring the bike in for a com-plete post-season overhaul to get allthe contaminants out.”

New experience: Following the adviceof our winter experts will keep yourwheels rolling all year long. Don’t letthe snowboarders have all the fun.

MBA TRAINING AND FITNESS

Winter Service Regimen: ToddPhelps says, “It’s actually more aboutconsistently caring for the bike through-out the wet riding season—especiallyaround here in Watertown. There’s a lotof salt and chemicals on the road to keepthe ice melted. One cold season can rustand corrode a frame badly. Add addi-tional grease in the seat tube. Drill a3/16-inch hole in the shell bellow the BBif there isn’t one there already. Take thewater bottle cages off and grease thebolts. We’re having great luck with PhilWood grease.”

Keep It Clean: “Wash the bikethoroughly after a day on treatedsnow,” says Calvin Brownlee. “Youneed to get the salt and grit off. Washthe grime out of the discs to minimizethe higher rate of pad wear. Riding ina snowstorm is like riding in a down-pour, and it requires extra preventa-tive measures.”

Tips to winterizeyour bike and body



Snowy Trails: John Bielik says, “If there is more than sixinches of fresh snowfall on the trail, everything gets gummedup. Snow builds and packs up between the frame and fork.We’ll be riding the roads instead. As soon as the trails freezeup, though, it can be really fast riding. With studded tires,frozen trails can be an absolute blast.”

Riding Mostly In The Wet: Dan Remsen, who rideswhere it seldom snows but rains, rains, rains, discourages hiscustomers from hosing off their bikes. “Why enter morewater into the wear and tear on the bike—the mud is on theoutside and that is fine. There will be less water on the insideof the bike if you don’t add to it with a hose. I usually go theentire winter without hosing off the bike. Instead, use a brushand rag dipped into a pail of water.”

Ride at night: John Bielik says, “If the sun comes out dur-ing the day, the warmth will turn the snow on the trail intomush. Don’t ride when it’s like that, because it destroys thetrails. But if you wait until night, the trails freeze up and theriding is screaming fast. Run a higher air pressure—no morethan 45psi—and just flow. If the trails are usable during theday, you will want to run a lower tire pressure.”

Acclimate: “If you take some time off and then suddenlydecide to go on a long winter hammer session, it’s going to betough on the respiratory system,” advises Paul Belknap. “Giveyour body time to transition into the cold and dry air. Ridemore frequently for shorter durations until your body is fullyacclimated. Always stay well hydrated.”

Salts and Chemicals: Paul Belknap explains, “If you onlyride on trails, you won’t have to worry about the salted streetsruining the bike. If you have to ride on the roads, it’s best touse a single speed with as much composite or aluminum aspossible. The salt on the roads is really rough on the bike.Expect to fully clean and service the bike thoroughly aftereach and every ride.”

Layering: Todd Phelps says, “It’s best to use a layering sys-tem starting with a standard jersey and a padded short undereverything else. Then a thin layer of fleece on top of the jer-sey with a wind breaker vest over that. Add a pair of tightsover the shorts and go. If it’s ten degrees or below, use PearlIzumi AmFIB tights over the cycling shorts. They have frontwind protection and some fleece in them. Pearl Izumi pro-duces a full line of AmFIB bib tights, regular tights, shoe cov-ers, toe covers and gloves. Another good name for winter rid-ing gear is Louis Garneau.”

Gloves: “Cross-country ski wax and accessory maker Tokomakes the best five finger winter gloves I’ve ever used,” saysPaul Belknap. “My favorites are the Thermo Plus and Classic.When it gets really cold, lobster mitts are the only way to go,like the AmFIB from Pearl Izumi. Other highly recommendedhand protection includes three-finger Lake gloves and thefive-finger models from Pearl Izumi AmFIB, Specialized SubZero and Gore-Tex.

Wick It Good: Paul Belknap adds, “Use a sleeveless wick-ing undershirt from Nike or Craft. Then depending on condi-tions, maybe wear a breathable long sleeve polypropylene topover that with a long-sleeve jersey over it. That’s good fordown to 40 degrees. If it’s colder, add a wind blocking fleecejersey, a vest or even a jacket. When you layer, it’s easy tounzip a jersey if it gets warm. Layering and air circulation arethe keys to staying warm. Once you get into the ride, it will benecessary to strip layers off. If sweat doesn’t wick away fromthe body, you’ll soon be in trouble.

Baggies: “Use Canari fleece winter riding pants over Lycrashorts,” says Paul Belknap. “The baggie pants are warmerthan tights. When it’s below 20, you have the room to layerunder them by adding knee or even leg warmers.”

Go Undercover: Paul Belknap explains that, “What’s sohelpful about balaclavas is that they keep the air warm aroundyour face, which helps warm the incoming air. In extremewind and cold, a rain cover over the helmet will give someextra protection.” Adds John Bielik, “Pearl Izumi makes agreat Microsensor face mask.”

Make the Helmet Fit: Todd Phelps says, “For winter, Iuse a helmet with the fit padding removed. It gives extra roomto comfortably wear a balaclava or a skull cap underneath.”Then Calvin Brownlee chimed in that he’s found “Trek hel-mets use a strapping system that easily adjusts to accommo-date the extra layer of skull protection.”

Glasses: John laments, “When everything is damp on you,it’s almost impossible to keep cycling glasses clean. I’ve foundthat all the cycling glasses fog up.” But Paul Belknap fromWisconsin says that he’s had “great luck with Smith Sliders;my glasses have always stayed pretty clear.” Dan fromBellingham, Washington—where it doesn’t get quite as cold—says, “Smith has an anti-fog cloth that’s easy to use and worksreal well.”

Bikes On Howard: “We have so much snow in Minnesota thatit’s often too deep to ride in.” Instead of driving to a snow-board slope, they’ll just ride from the shop on plowed streetsto where the packed trails are.

92 www.mbaction.com

Kulshan Cycles: “Head into winter with a well serviced bike.That way the second you hit the elements the moisture dam-age will be minimized. Routinely service freehub bodies andgear cables throughout the winter season.”

Plan For Warmth: Says Calvin Brownlee, “It’s when youstop that you get in trouble. Plan the ride so you don’t stop.Also, keep shedding and donning layers as needed. You mightoverheat and shed clothing when climbing a hill. But as soonas you reach the top, put it back to keep warm on the fastdescent.”

In the Wet: Dan Remsen explains, “We mostly get rain,and it only snows a few times a year here in Bellingham.There’s a lot of water covering the roots and rocks, and youdon’t always know what you’re hitting. Because of that, welike big tires with spaced knobs and sticky compounds. That’sperfect for us, because almost everyone around here is ridingthe big bikes that fit ’em. Kenda’s 2.5 Nevegals are really pop-ular winter tires, as well as the 2.5 Bontrager Big Earls withthe Stability Control Casing option. Some folks are even rid-ing 2.7 Big Earls.”

Go Rigid: Todd Phelps adds that, “Suspension isn’t goingto do much good during the winter. If it’s below zero, the onlytypes that work are the ones with just a spring and nohydraulics. For serious ice riding, we use rigid bikes with discbrakes.”

Popular Wisconsin Snow Setup: “With four feet of snowin the woods, you can’t ride unless it has already been packeddown by people or snowmobiles,” explains Paul Belknap.“That’s why Surly Pugsleys are so popular around here. Theframe is built to fit four-inch tires mounted on Surly’s extra-wide Large Marge rims. For good clearance, only use three-inch downhill tires with 12 psi of pressure. The big tire willkeep you on top of softer snow.”

Studded Tires: “We stud our own tires here in the shop,”says Todd Phelps. “It costs a fair amount of money to do, andit’s not a good idea to ride them on the pavement becausethey’ll just dull out. If your ice riding includes any pavement,buy studded tires from Nokian, IRC, Kenda, Innova, Nashbar,Schwalbe or Velotique. The production studded tires aren’t assharp, and you can ride them on the road without ruiningthem.

“You can stud almost anything. It’s best to use a tread withknobs that aren’t overly tall, but big enough in diameter tosupport the stud. Try to select a knob pattern that comple-ments the stud pattern you’re planning on. My backContinental Explorer Pro has 150 studs, and the frontSpecialized Adrenalin has 300.”

How To Stud: “Use number-eight pan-head Phillipssheet-metal screws,” continues Todd Phelps. “The trick isto first position and drill a 1/16-inch inch hole from theoutside of the knob in. Then reverse the tire and put thescrew in from the inside out. With a pre-hole, the pointedend of the screw will end up exactly where you wanted itto be in the knob. Generally, you’ll be using 1/4-inch or3/16-inch long screws, depending on the knob height andhow much exposed stud you want. For hardpack snow, alonger screw will work. If it’s glare ice, like a lot of the rid-ing we do around here in Watertown, shorter studs workbetter because they don’t roll over on you. To protect thetube from the screw heads, we gut a standard tube andwrap it over another one. Don’t run more than 50 psi, oryou can pop a tube on the screw heads.” Black RiverAdventures Shop charges $150 to custom screw a tire with300 to 400 studs.

Tire Chains: “We’re really big on tire chains here at BayCity Cycle,” says Paul Belknap. “They’re easy to put on andthey work. To outfit a bike with Pitbull Tire chains runsaround $50.” Tire chains are also available from Kool-Stopand WTB.

Quicker Action: “I do a lot of night riding during the win-ter,” says John Bielik. “In subfreezing temps the fork worksbetter with a lighter oil. The Marzocchi Z1 Freeride comesstock with 7.5w. I run 10-15w in the summer and 7.5w oreven 5w in the winter.

“Guys who are out riding long-travel bikes in below 15degree temperatures are cracking the plastic hydraulic discbrake lines where they flex between the main frame and theswingarm. Upgrade to Goodridge lines; they won’t crack.”

“If for any reason you do go out riding a bike with rimbrakes, keep in mind that as soon as snow packs on the rim,you will lose stopping power.

“Order an extra set of brake pads so you will always have areplacement on hand. Keep an eye on pad wear, especially inthe back. Going for an all-day epic with lots of descending ingritty dirt and snow will quickly waste pads.”

Chain Care: “Use SRAM or Wipperman chains with aquick link,” advises John Bielik. “I remove the chain afterevery ride and clean it in the parts washer. Wipe it down witha rag and blow it off with an air hose. I myself like to use wetlube from Finishline. However, some of my customers reallyswear by White Lightning Epic.” There was some dissensionamongst our dream team when it came to chain lube—halfchose White Lightning and the other half a wet lube likeProGold ProLink.

Winter


Benidorm Bikes: “We have the bestresults with the studded Nokian Extreme294. It’s available in both 2.1 and 1.9inches. Check tire clearance on the bikebefore picking the size. We even staywith a 2.1 inch size on the big bikes.”

Keep it clicking: “Freehub bodiesare one of the more ignored maintenanceareas. Cables, too. Replace gear housingand cable at the start of the wet season,and keep them well lubed throughout.Routinely pull the housings out of theguides, move around and wipe the cablebeneath. I like to lube the cables withJudy Butter because it stays on the cablewhere it belongs when you put every-thing back together,” says Dan Remsen.

Use Those Gears: “When riding infreezing conditions, keep shifting tominimize the chance of having thederailleurs freeze over,” says ToddPhelps. “Most of the time, the cause willbe a frozen gear cable. Grease the gearcables often.”

Flat Pedals: “Most people use a flatpedal with a toe strap or a studded plat-form pedal,” says Todd Phelps. “Thebeauty of a flat pedal is that it allowsyou to wear almost anything to protectthe feet. Size a lightweight hiking bootto fit a Gore-Tex bootie over a woolsock. Seal Skinz makes a nice water-proof and windproof sock.”

nozzle from freezing shut, “ says JohnBielik.

“The best way to keep liquid warm isto use a Nalgene flask and to stick it ina pocket underneath the outside jersey.”

Chewable: “I’m really big on Clifenergy bars,” says Calvin Brownlee.“Even when frozen, they are morepalatable than a frozen, taffy-likePowerBar.”

Outer Extremities: Paul Belknapsays, “When riding during the winter,the most important thing is to keep yourfeet and hands warm. As soon as theseouter extremities freeze, the ride is over.”

Lighting: Says Dan Remsen, “We geta lot of drizzle and fog in Washington.When using a helmet light, you will findthat the light bounces right back in youreyes. Bar-mounted systems are muchbetter in these conditions.

“A lighting system’s battery will burnfor much longer if you can keep the bat-tery warm. Keep the battery in a jerseypocket so it stays warmer.”

Hydration: John Bielik on drinkingin the cold! “Get one of those neoprenehose insulators from Dakine orCamelBak. It helps keep the waterinside the drink hose from freezing inanything above ten degrees. CamelBakeven makes a Zoid series of winterCamelBaks with an insulated reservoir,hose and bite valve. But if it’s belowzero, the water in the drink hose isgoing to freeze anyway. When it’s thatcold, you’re better off with a water bot-tle in a jersey pocket so your body heatwill keep it from freezing.”

“If using a CamelBak system, blow allthe liquid back into the reservoir aftertaking a drink. This will keep the hosefrom freezing solid.”

When stuck with a waterbottlecage: “Insert the bottle into the cageupside-down. With the cap at the bot-tom, the sloshing water will keep the

Winter

http://www.competitivecyclist.com

ICE PANELWARM PEOPLE

Bay City Cycle, Ashland,Wisconsin; (715) 682-2091.Benidorm Bikes, Canton,Connecticut; (860) 693-8891.Bikes On Howard, Hibbing,Minnesota; (218) 262 0899.Black River Adventures Shop,Watertown, New York; (315) 786-8800.Kulshan Cycles, Bellingham,Washington; (360) 733-6440.

ULTIMATE REFERRALWINTER’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK

Answer (661) 294-4109Bontrager (800) 879 8735CamelBak (800) 767-8725Canari (800) 929-2925Clif (510) 558-7855Continental (800) 223-3207Craft (781) 631-9544Crank Brothers (949) 464-9916Dakine (541) 386-3166Finish Line (631) 666-7300Goodridge (310) 533-1924Gore Bike Wear (800) 455-4184Innova (877) 328-8868IRC (866) 878-8473Kenda (866) 536-3287Kool-Stop (714) 738-4971Lake (847) 491-9205Louis Garneau (802) 334-5885Marzocchi (661) 257-6630Nalgene (800) 625-4327Nashbar (800) 627-4227

Nike (800) 806-6453Nokian (310) 944-3747Pearl Izumi (303) 464-6118Phil Wood (408) 298-1540Pit Bull (303) 646-1027ProGold (404) 766-3990RockShox (312) 664-8800Schwalbe (250) 598-0397Seal Skinz (800) 868-2629Smith Optics (208) 726-4477Sidi (800) 578-5790Specialized (408) 779-6229SRAM Corp (312) 664-8800Surly (952) 941-9391Toko (866) 865-6872Trek (800) 879 8735Velotique (800) 363-3171White Lightning (720) 855-7870Wipperman (800) 422-2104WTB (415) 389-5040

Cycling-Specific Boots: Brands thatrated high with our Winter RidingDream Team include cycling boots fromLake, Sidi and Answer. John Bielik addsthat “The Answer Kashmir cycling bootis highly recommended by every singleperson we sell them to. Size them to fitthicker wool socks. Cover them withwinter booties if it’s below zero.”

Supermarket: “One cheap trick is toput plastic grocery bags over yoursocks,” says Paul Belknap. “Or, if youwant to protect the shoe, put the bagover the shoe and duct tape the top. It’sa better idea to just use a dedicated win-ter shoe so you won’t have to worryabout them getting thrashed.”

Egg Beaters: “The Crank Brotherspedal is open and doesn’t have manymoving parts that can freeze up. Theyare the only clipless pedals that can beused in the snow,” says CalvinBrownlee.

Protect Those Shins: Dan Remsenfrom the North Shore bordering Belling-ham, Washington, says, “Anyone ridingplatforms around here must wear shinguards; you’ll be slipping off the pedalmore than ever in the wet.” ❏

96 www.mbaction.com

No sooner had the MBA test fleetbeen delivered (four identicalGiant Trance 2’s) than we knew

what the first product comparisonwould be. Brakes! The four-bike testfleet gives us the unique ability to testproducts simultaneously. No swappingparts in the middle of testing or evaluat-ing similar products on different bikes.Our fleet allows us to swap bikes any-time during a ride, making comparisonsfar easier to document and adding cre-dence to our conclusions. Comparingfour brake systems was the obviousplace to break-in (no pun intended) thetest fleet.

Stopping PowerThe “big four” disc brake shootout

MBA TECHMBA

CHOOSING THE STOPPERSThere was never a question of what

type of brakes (rim brakes or disc brakes)to use. Since the MBA test fleet is madeup of four-inch-travel trailbikes, discbrakes were the obvious choice. We alsochose to go the hydraulic route (expect amechanical disc brake shootout in thefuture). The easy part out of the way, thetough part of choosing the brands tocompare came next.

Since the advent of disc brakes formountain biking and the overwhelmingacceptance of the technology by the mid-nineties, a large number of disc brakesuppliers have come on the scene. They

include Avid, Brembo, Formula, Hayes,Hope, Interloc, Magura and Shimano.Our decision to compare brakes fromAvid, Hayes, Magura and Shimano camedown to popularity. These four brandsmake up the majority of brakes used onthe trails of America.

Since these companies offer a numberof models, we chose the model mostappropriate for trail riding. When theboxes arrived and the brakes weremounted to the test fleet, we had theAvid Juicy Carbon, Hayes El Camino,Magura Marta SL and Shimano XThydraulic disc brakes ready to strut theirstuff.



Fresh: Avid Juicy Carbon brakes andlevers are a fine-tuner’s dream cometrue. These stoppers are made to bedialed in.

Power play: Hayes El Camino brakesoffer power to spare. This latest gener-ation is the quietest Hayes has everoffered.

Brake test: The Wrecking Crew outfitted four identical bikes with four different hydraulic disc brakes and hit the trail. Theresult was a rotor-to-rotor battle with a surprising outcome.

From the old country: Magura stillmakes all their brakes in Germany. TheMarta SL brakes are the lightest of thegroup.

98 www.mbaction.com

AVID

AWARD “Fine-tune” Award

MODEL Juicy Carbon

PRICE (each) $269.95

PAD SET PRICE $24.95

WEIGHT1 (front) 11.4 ounces

WEIGHT1 (rear) 12.1 ounces

ROTOR WEIGHT2 3.7 ounces

LEVER CLAMP3

PAD REPLACEMENT Snap into place. No tools required. A little awkward because pads are inserted with pad spring.

LEVER ADJUSTMENT Tool-free pad contact point adjustmentand lever reach adjustment (Allen wrench required).

LEVER FEEL Fairly straight, fat lever with a slight dogleg bend. Vague return feel.

POWER Great blend of power and modulation. Easy to tune to rider preference.

NOISE Super quiet.

COMMENTS: The Avid Juicy Brakes have been an MBAfavorite because they are powerful, easy to mount (you don’t need shims to dial-in the fit), and they offer so much rider adjustment (a nice feature if you want to fine-tune brake feel).It’s no wonder so many bike companies are spec’ing their bikes with Avid Juicy brakes.

1—Weight includes caliper, lever, reservoir, hose and mounting hardware. 2—Weight includes all mounting hardware.3 —Two-piece clamp allows lever removal from the bar without removing the grip.

BRAKE COMPARISON CHART MBA DISC BRAKE SHOOTOUT

Stopping Power

Two-piece

Intuitive: Shimano’s XT disc brakes force you to be abetter rider. Their power distribution allows you to grabthe terra firma instead of scraping over it.

THE TESTINGThe test fleet bikes were ridden on our favorite trails to

properly scrub in the pads and introduce them to theirrotors. The hard-core testing took place at Snow Summitin Big Bear Lake, California. Riding the lift up the moun-tain allowed us to spend the majority of our testing time ondownhill, cross-country and Super-D trails.

THE RESULTSWhile mountain bike disc brakes have been available for

over a decade, their wide acceptance is still a fairly recentdevelopment. Early disc brakes had plenty of issues,including pad rubbing, overheating, poor modulation,noise, excessive pad wear and added weight. Those issues,at least on the four brakes tested here, are problems of thepast. Not one of the brakes we tested faded during descents(even when we intentionally dragged the brakes). None ofour class squealed. The four contenders proved mostlytrouble-free and bulletproof. That made this shootout atough one.

MBA shootouts have traditionally ranked the testedproducts from the winner to the last-place finisher. Wecan’t do that in this shootout. Why? The competition wastoo close. No matter how we tried to score the brakes, thewinner always won by the slightest of margins, and therewasn’t a loser in the bunch.

We are not copping out. There is still a winner. Thisbrake is the one that received the most praise from thewrecking crew. It is the brake that we’d put on our per-sonal bikes and would recommend to our best friends(that’s you). The brake shootout winner is marked with“Best overall award” on the following comparison chart.



HAYES MAGURA SHIMANO

“Power” Award “Best overall” Award “Ease-of-use” Award

El Camino Marta SL XT s

$249.99 $269.95 $265 s

$19.95 $25 $18.95 s

11.2 ounces 8.7 ounces 11.1 ounces s



Two-piece Two-pieTwo-piece One-piece

Snap into place through the top of Pads seat into caliper magnetically, and a Snap into place. A little awkward becausethe caliper. No tools required. Super pin secures the pads. Pads do not “snap,” pads are inserted with pad spring. Pin withsimple. so care needs to be taken to be sure pads a clip holds pads in place. Allen wrench

are properly positioned. Allen wrench required. required.

Tool-free lever reach adjustment and Reach adjustment (Allen wrench required). Reach adjustment (Allen wrench required).power-adjust dial.

Nice bend for two-finger braking with Nice bend for two-finger braking with a Great bend for two-finger braking with slimslim profile. Vague return feel. chubby profile. Vague return feel. profile. Best return feel of the group.

Most powerful brake of the bunch Very powerful with excellent modulation. Beautiful power delivery. Helps rider keep without being grabby. Requires proper Power commensurate with pressure applied contact with the ground, even on soft-braking technique to avoid locking wheel. to the lever. surface descents.

Quiet with a slight organic scraping Absolutely silent. Quiet with a slight organic scraping sound sound when brakes are hot. when brakes are hot.

The El Camino puts Hayes shoulder to The Magura Marta SL is our favorite because If the Shimano XT brakes had come in at theshoulder with their competition. Recom- the lever feels great, the power is awesome Magura’s weight, there would have been a mended for more aggressive riders or and they ran silent our entire test period. All this different champion. These brakes force you heavier riders looking for the most at a weight that helps bring down the weight of to be a better rider because you won’t lockpowerful stoppers. One reach-adjustment your trailbike. Reduction in the brake pad price your wheels as often. The levers feel like theyknob came loose during testing, making it eliminates an old objection to Magura brakes. were formed for your hands, and their operationnecessary to use pliers to dial-in the reach. Marta brakes spec’ed on new bikes are always (especially when released) is the best of theThis problem would have been covered a premium, because the German company can’t bunch. No wonder so many bike companiesunder warranty. offer deep discounts. What they can offer is rely on Shimano’s stopping power.

amazing performance.

Two-piece Two-piece One-piece

100 www.mbaction.com

ShouldYou BeTraining?Not just for racers By Dave Wiens

MBA TRAINING AND FITNESS

JOIN THE CLUBOkay, you’re in. But how do you get

started? There are two ways to begintraining. You either hire a coach or youcreate a training program yourself. Hiringa coach is the quickest and easiest way tobegin training, but it also costs money andcomes with no guarantee of success.While training is based on science, andcertified coaches have a background inthe science of training, training is actuallyan inexact science. It is not a requirementto have a coach and train scientifically tobe successful. I have seen success at alllevels of racing, from weekend warriors toseasoned pros, both with and without sci-entific coaching.

Fun ride: Dave Wiens carves up a trail near his home in Gunnison, Colorado. Whatlooks like a casual ride can be part of Dave’s (and any rider’s) training program. Daveexplains how training rides can be fun as well as beneficial to your conditioning.

H ave you ever wished youwere better prepared for acertain ride with your bud-

dies or a particular race? If youanswered yes, you might want toconsider training. Let’s define theword training for this discussion.By training, I mean to plan and thenexecute physical activity for somesort of specific or general goal. Yes,nonpurposeful training exists. Thisis called simply riding your bike,and there is absolutely nothingwrong with it. Not everyone isinterested in trying to improve theirperformance or in having to go outand ride in a scripted manner. Butmany of us are, and that’s wherepurposeful training enters the pic-ture.

Before you get scared away,understand that training is a spec-trum, and while Lance is at one endof it, using an all encompassing,super scientific approach, the otherend also exists, and it’s a great placeto start. This starting place can beas simple as one or two specificrides a week. If you’ve never trainedbefore, you should see results quick-ly, even with the simplest program.

I don’t care what any coach tells you,there are way too many variablesinvolved in each individual human bodyand in the nature of all of the things thataffect physical performance for profes-sional coaching to be a sure thing.Genetics, lifestyle, diet, stress, rest…this list goes on and on, and every itemplays a role in ultimate performance, yetit’s impossible to determine the exacteffect of each one. For every rider satis-fied with his experience with a coach,there is another who’s not.

This is not a knock on coaching, justmore of a disclaimer. There are numer-ous advantages to working with acoach. If you can afford it and you don’twant to put the time into learning abouttraining and creating your own pro-gram, I recommend hiring a reputablecoach. One big benefit of having a coach

is that you will learn about training.Your coach will give you a program andhave you keep a training log (basically atraining diary), so you’ll actually have awritten record of a yearly or seasonalplan, as well as your execution and sub-sequent results. If you’re happy with thecoach and your results and you want tocontinue the relationship, great. Or, youcould give that coach the old heave-hoand use what you’ve learned with himto begin working out your own pro-gram. Another option is to hire a differ-ent coach to get a different perspectiveand gain even more information.

This is how many of my racing peersand I have developed our training pro-grams. On an ongoing basis, we com-bine past experiences with new infor-mation to create a continually evolvingregimen.



Training

Inner voice: “There are way too manyvariables involved in each individualhuman body and in the nature of all ofthe things that affect physical perfor-mance for professional coaching to bea sure thing.”

The gray area: “While training is basedon science, and certified coaches havea background in the science of training,training is actually an inexact science.”

Prerequisite: “It is not a requirement tohave a coach and train scientifically tobe successful.”

THE BEGINNING I was into my third year as a pro

back in 1990 and I knew nothing oftraining; I just rode my bike. I was offthe back in the races early that sum-mer and decided to learn about train-ing. I took four days completely off thebike, and during that time I got a copyof Greg LeMond’s “Complete Book ofCycling” and an MBA with an articlecalled “Ned Overend’s Training Tips.”The LeMond book had a chaptercalled “Training and Fitness” and theMBA article had Ned’s weekly pro-gram, including some of his workouts.

I learned about microcycles,macrocycles, training logs, inter-vals, rest days, all kinds of stuff,and proceeded to hammer out myfirst seven-week training plan. Istuck to it, and four weeks in Ialmost quit the sport. I was justgetting killed in the races. Butthen, after week five, I had a good

race in Crested Butte and gainedsome confidence. Beginning the

next weekend, I went on to win threeraces in a row, including two NORBANationals! Wow, this training thingseems to work!

GETTING ADVICEI worked with two different coaches

in 1992 and 1994. Both experienceswere similar in that I did way moreearly in the season than I ever had; Iwas really fit in the early season, andthen I crashed hard, as far as my fit-ness went, and never recovered for therest of the season.

In hindsight, had I stuck with thecoaches, especially Dave Smith in ’94,I think I would have realized greatersuccess. But that’s just me, a littleimpatient and a bit of a noncon-formist, and a mountain biker firstand foremost. I wanted to go for epicrides instead of doing intervals on aroad bike! My wife, Susan DeMattei,stuck with him for three years, andtogether they earned a bronze medalin the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996.

TRAINING FOR LIFENow, while I’m not racing Norba

Nationals or World Cups anymore, I’mstill training. I train for a few ultraendurance races like the Leadville 100and the Vapor Trail 125; I train forsome adventure races; I train for ourlocal flag football league; I train for skiseason; and I train for general life fit-ness. My training program for all ofthis is not complicated or even veryscientific, but I do very specific things

depending on what season it is andwhat I have coming up.

My training regimen is a combina-tion of everything that I have learnedabout training over the years. For me,training is not drudgery, it’s a way oflife. If you have the desire, you canbegin to learn about training, too, andmake it part of your everyday life.Either hire a coach or start reading upon training. There is a ton of materialout there, and all you need is generalknowledge to hammer out your firsttraining program. Then, just constant-ly learn new information and don’t beafraid to try new things. Before long,you’ll have a good record of what youhave done and how it worked and youcan continually refine your own train-ing program. Happy trails! ❏



MBA TECHMBA

Integrated PerformanceA downhill rig built from the SRAM family of components

S RAM has been hard at workgobbling up major brands(RockShox, Avid and Truvativ)

and integrating those new compo-nents into SRAM’s drivetrain offer-ings. The thinking behind these acqui-sitions is simple. Why start fromscratch? Instead of developing suspen-sion, brakes, and components, SRAMintegrated proven technology fromcompanies already established in thegame. It is a time-proven strategy oftogether we stand, divided we fall.

MAKING THE CONNECTIONSince the acquisitions, it seems that

nary a month goes by without SRAMrevealing a new product. First, it wasthe SRAM X.0 shifter and derailleur.Next were the Avid Juicy Carbonbrakes. And most recently was the air-sprung, eight-inch-travel RockShoxBoxxer World Cup.

During an extended product testingsession in Whistler, B.C., we had theopportunity to ride all of these pro-level products on one machine, theprototype Cove Shocker downhill rig.Our test bike was set up by SRAMCanadian Technical Rep, Cove teamrider, and current Canadian DownhillNational Champion Tyler Morland.

Here is how the Cove/SRAM projectbike came out.

FRAME: 2006 Cove Shocker proto-type, nine-inches of travel.

Key Features: This brand startedout of the back room of the CoveBicycle Shop located close to the NorthShore in Vancouver, British Columbia. Cove has a repu-tation for creating bikes worthy of any challenge the rid-ers who frequent the Whistler Mountain Bike Park candish out. The shocker is their latest offering for truedownhill racing and includes SRAM’s Maxle rearthrough-axle.

FORK: The last four Men’s World CupDownhill Overall Champions have rid-den to glory aboard RockShox BlackBoxBoxxers. That BlackBox technology trick-les down to the consumer in 2006 withthe air-sprung Boxxer World Cup, featur-ing Motion Control damping.

Key Features: The ’06 Boxxer WorldCup weighs only six pounds. It featuresthe Maxle 20-millimeter through-axleand is set up to utilize a direct-mountstem option. The Boxxer World Cup sellsfor $1400.

BRAKES: The Avid Juicy carbon brakesare a lighter, more tricked-out version ofthe ultra-popular Juicy Seven brakes.

Key Features: The most identifi-able features of the Juicy Carbonbrake are the Index Reach Adjustment,moving the lever one-millimeter per click of the screw,plus the carbon lever and reservoir cover. The JuicyCarbons have a Tri-Align caliper positioning system,eliminating trial and error during setup. The Polygonrotor design is available in 6.5, 7.5, and eight-inch sizes.The high-zoot Carbons also have titanium bolts. TheJuicy Carbons sell for $269.95 each.



CRANKSET: TruvativHolzfeller cranks have longbeen the choice of top rac-ers and riders. In 2006, theHolzfeller uses a new armdesign resulting in astronger, lighter and stiffercrank arm. Combine thenew Holzfeller with theHowitzer bottom bracket

and Truvativ BoxGuide andyou’ve got a smooth and simpledesign that can take all you candish out.

Key Features: The four-boltHolzfeller cranks are made from7050 Aluminum. The oversized

Howitzer bottom bracket uses externally mounted bear-ings. The BoxGuide has an adjustable composite upperguide and polyurethane, cartridge-bearing lower roller.The guide features adjustable plate angles and is availablein both ISCG and bottom-bracket-mounted versions. Thecranks sell for $220, and the guide for $70.

CHAIN AND CASSETTE:The SRAM PC-991HollowPin chain andPG-990 cassette are thepremium selections inthe lineup. For 2006,the PC-991 chain hasbeen modified to furtherenhance shifting perfor-mance with Truvativchainrings.

Key Features: The PC-991HollowPin chain features nickel-plated outerand inner plates and uses the exclusive PowerLink closure. The HollowPin rivetingprocess is designed to save weight. The PG-990 cassette has been upgraded with alightweight aluminum spider. The cassettefeatures a 7000 series aluminum lock ringand an attractive red anodized spiderand spacer. The PG-990 cassette isavailable in ratios of 11-32, and 11-34. The chain sellsfor $54 and the cassette for $99.

S H I F T E R :SRAM’s X.0 trig-

ger shifter is themost advanced,

highly anticipatedtrigger shifter tohit the sport. Thenine-speed shiftersweigh nine ounces(225g) a pair anduse a 1:1 actuationratio.

Key Features:The X.0 shiftersare made frombrushed aluminumand carbon fiber.The trigger is com-patible with SRAM1:1 rear derailleursand Shimano front

derailleurs. The X.0 shifter has been designed to fiteither inside or outside of the brake mount on the han-dlebar. The X.0 triggers have unmatched adjustability forpersonal preferences in relation to handlebar grip. TheX.0 shifters sell for $248.

DERAILLEUR:The SRAM X.0derailleur featurestheir BlackBox tech-nology, is availablein eight or ninespeeds, and in long,medium and shortcage lengths.

Key Features:The X.0 derailleuruses 1:1 actuationand Direct Routetechnology to pro-duce lighter-effortshifting. Weights onthe X.0 derailleurare 7.4 ounces forthe long cage model,6.9 ounces for themedium, and 6.8ounces for the short.

The X.0 is made from forged alloy, has machined andheat-treated oversized pivots, a CNC-machined long cage,and carbon fiber medium and short cages. The SRAMX.0 derailleur sells for $235.

HANDLEBAR: Like the Truvativ Holzfeller cranks, the riser baris synonymous with strength and power.

Key Features: The Holzfeller bar is 28.9 inches wide and weighs10.5 ounces. The bar features the OS 31.8-millimeter clamp diame-ter and is made from triple-butted AL-7050. The Holzfeller riser barhas a five-degree upsweep and an eight-degree backsweep. TheHolzfeller bar sells for $60. ❏


MBA TECHMBA

H aro’s Cody Warren started rac-ing bikes at age 12, but it wasonly recently that this 20-year-

old racer became a star. Born in SanDiego, California, on August 27, 1985,Cody raced BMX from age 12 to 17, butnever won a major race. It wasn’t untilCody switched to racing mountain bikesthat he found his pedaling groove.

He won NORBA’s 2002 junior expertdownhill title and turned pro the follow-ing year. He brought his racing up to ahigher level and started making regularpodium appearances in both downhilland slalom in 2005. Cody won his firstNORBA national series event in 2005(with a mountaincross win), and thencapped off the year by winning thedownhill national championship atMammoth Mountain.

Here’s the bike he used, along withsome of his comments about it. ❏

InsidethePros’BikesCody Warren’s Haro357 Magnum

Shimano XTR rearderailleur.

Selle Italia SLR XC seat.

Sun Ringle RhinoLite rims.

Maxxis downhillinner tubes.

Maxxis Highroller tires, 2.5-inch width, front and rear.

Shimano Dura-Ace, 11-25-toothcogset, nine speeds.

Easton seatpostEA50.

Bike weight: 40 pounds

Estimated price: $5000



Haro 357 Magnum frame;adjustable travel can be set at

seven, eight or nine inches.“We went through numerous

design changes. The swingarmon my bike will be the new stan-

dard on the ’06 models.”

TAG motorcycle grips “I like their rubber compoundand their half-waffle design.”

Shimano XTlevers andshifters.

DT Swissstraight-gauge

spokes.Shimano Saint cranks,

165 millimeters. “I use 165’s for better

clearance on the rocks.”

E.thirteenchainguide.

Shimano DX pedals. “I think they’re model636. They’re the clip-

in style. I use clipsbecause I don’t like

having my feetbouncing around.”

Manitou Travis fork, 7.9inches of travel “Mine

has special valving. SPV isstandard. I use the TPCinternals because they

progress better than theSPV. I get a little better

damping out of the TPC.”

Manitou Revoxshock.

ShimanoSaint hubs.

Cane Creekheadset.

Shimano Saintdisc brakes, witheight-inch rotors.

Easton MonkeyLite DH

handlebars.

Titaniumspring.


Quick Releases

GIFTSLooking for a last-minute Christmas

gift for that special mountain biker onyour list? What could be better than asubscription to the very magazine youare holding in your hands? The giftincludes twelve packed issues thatinclude our annual MBA buyer’sguide and coveted tire shootout. Plus,you get the lowest sub rate of the yearof only $14.99 by calling (800) 767-0345 (or aim your web browser atwww.mbaction.com).

GOGGLESThe High Voltage is the top-of-the-

line motorsports goggle from ScottUSA. Perfect for downhill, mountain-cross, and park riding, the $69.95High Voltage features Scott’s No-Sweat foam, Chrome Amplifier lens,strap clips, and removable Voltagenose guard. The Voltage also featuresa patented frame ventilation system.For more information, call (800) 292-5874.

SHADESThe unique looking Oakley

Gascan sunglasses have a cus-tomized frame designed for premiumcomfort. The Peripheral vision is max-imized by XYZ Optics, maintainingvisual clarity at all angles of view. TheGascan’s two lenses are cut from thecurve of a single lens, then mountedin the frame to maintain the original,continuous contour. The polishedblack Gascan sells for $100. Get moreinformation by calling (800) 431-1439.

FORKSThe 5.1-inch-travel, air-sprung Fox

Shox Float RLC fork weighsjust 3.69 pounds and features exter-nally adjustable rebound, lockout andcompression. The $600 RLC is thelightest five-inch-travel fork on themarket. For more information, callFox Racing Shox at (831) 274-6500.

TIRESSchwalbe says the Fat Albert

tires started out as a secret, but theyare ready to let you in on it. It is alarge-volume tire with a versatiletread pattern that is intended for loosesurfaces. The $56.11 tire comes in a26x2.35-inch size with the SchwalbeSnakeSkin light and flexible carcassthat makes the tire sidewall extremelyresistant to scrubbing. You can getmore information on this aggressivetrailbike tire by calling Schwalbe at(888) 700-5860. ❏

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Down the Trail 1995

Y es, it was a simpler time. Two riders, two lanes, one jump, and wide, fast corners. This classic dual-slalom course onthe big mountain at the Mammoth Mountain Mountain Bike Park makes one long for the good old days. Dual-slalomhas been replaced by mountaincross in the States and 4-Cross in Europe, but it will never be replaced in the hearts of

riders who competed here. ❏


Documents

Mountain Bike Action - January 2006