News

I'm sure this is old news to many of you cool kids but basically: this guy's life is awesome. more »

Check out Justin Leov's Trek Session 9.9 with remote Speed Raven goggle switch, George Ryan's Jamis Dakar Bam, Logan Binggeli's KHS DH 300 and Jason Scheiding's Zerode G1 from the Mountain Creek ProGRT this weekend. more »

I'd also be excited to ride in these giant mountains if I lived in that area. Big views and great trails will surely grant these riders plenty of memories. more »

Fox Racing Shox released information, today, of their new Float iCD electronic suspension project, previously seen in prototype form on the bikes of Geoff Kabush (Scott-3Rox Racing) and Catharine Pendrel (Luna). The new electronic damper will be available for sale in 2013 for both forks and rear shocks.

While we're still anticipating a highly advanced terrain-sensing system to be announced in the coming months, for now Fox say the system is essentially what it appears to be: an electronic remote lockout system that controls either the fork only or the fork and rear shock simultaneously.

The new system is part of Fox's Intelligent Ride Dynamics (iRD) advanced development group and switches between an ultra-firm 'Climb' mode and fully open 'Descend' mode (but not a 'Trail' mode like on the MY2013 traditional forks and rear shocks) via a bar-mounted rotary switch with two or three positions depending on the application: Climb (fork and rear shock), Climb (rear shock only), and Descend (fork and rear shock).

Developed in cooperation with Shimano, Float iCD uses a rechargeable Li-ion battery borrowed from the Japanese company's Di2 electronic road transmission to power a tiny actuator rod inside the fork and rear shock. The wires are identical to those used in the current Ultegra Di2 6770 group and claimed battery life is upwards of 2.5 months.

According to FOX, the Float iCD system can also be hooked up to a laptop computer to customize the remote switch settings, update the firmware, and access diagnostic protocols. Claimed weight for a complete fork and rear shock is as little as 1,860g (4.10lb) while the fork alone will start at 1,555g (3.43lb). Projected consumer availability is this September.

The new FOX Float iCD system will be offered in both forks and rear shocks starting this September

While certainly intriguing, Float iCD is also very expensive with a complete fork system estimated at US$1,499 and a fork-plus-rear shock setup costing a whopping US$1,999. All Float iCD forks with include FIT dampers and Kashima-coated upper tubes with options to include 100mm or 120mm of travel, 26" or 29" wheel fitments, and 9mm or 15QR thru-axle dropouts. Rear shocks will be offered in 6.5 x 1.5" to 7.875 x 2.0" sizes and in standard or high-volume air can options.

At this point, many of you are undoubtedly wondering: if the Float iCD system is little more than an electronic lockout (at this stage, anyway), what's the point?

According to Fox global marketing communications manager Mark Jordan, Float iCD's main advantages over a traditional cable-operated remote system are a faster initial setup, lower maintenance, and easier operation while on the trail.

Claimed actuation speed is also lightning-quick at just 0.25 seconds for the fork and 0.45 seconds for the rear shock. "The most important advantages happen on the trail through the speed of the adjustments, ease of use and very low remote activation force required," he told BikeRadar. "These three features promote increased use over a standard cable system with less fatigue, which allows riders to take advantage of this system much more often to greatly increase the efficiency of their mountain bike by constantly matching the suspension tune to the terrain."

Not convinced yet? We'll admit to being skeptical ourselves but Fox have promised a sample setup for testing soon, so we'll reserve any judgment until then.

Dave Trumpore uploaded 40+ shots from this weekend's big USA ProGRT event in New Jersey. There are a few bangers in here, as well as a few bruises. more »

Men: Patrick Lüthi too good

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

Switzerland's Patrick Lüthi started his World Cup career in the best possible way - winning the third round of the eliminator World Cup in La Bresse, France. Held in the streets of the host village, the French community embraced the event, with spectators lining the course that took riders along narrow footpaths, through a church yard and down a set of stairs that proved to be the most serious obstacle of the day, causing a number of crashes.

Round one winner Brian Lopes was one of the strong favourites for the men's race, since the tight, technical course suited the skills of the former four cross world champion. Lopes qualified second, behind Miha Halzer (Energijateam.com), with Lüthi qualifying fourth. They were joined in the final by Stefan Peter (MTB Kader Zentralschweiz).

Lopes after the finish

Peter got the hole shot at the first corner, when Lopes and Halzer both had poor starts. The American moved up to third, behind Lüthi, but was thwarted in his attempt to move up to second in the corner following the stair descent. However, Lüthi was successful in overtaking Peter just before the ramp descent and held on for the win ahead of Peter, with Lopes rolling in third. Paul van der Ploeg (Felt Oetztal X-Bionic) was the top Australian, finishing 12th.

"It is just unbelievable to win my first World Cup," said Lüthi. "I never thought I would be in this place. I thought it might be difficult to qualify and now I am here ... just unbelievable. I think it is very hard, this race. The winner could have been anyone. It is just great to be the one."

Women: Rissveds, Engen and Stirnemann take honours

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

Seventeen-year-old junior Jenny Rissveds of Sweden took the biggest win of her career in round three of the eliminator World Cup, beating countrywoman and mentor Alexandra Engen (Ghost). Held in the streets of the host village La Bresse, the French community embraced the event, with spectators lining the course.

The 725-metre course started on the main street of La Bresse, before cutting across a river via a footbridge, and over a steep bridge. From there the riders headed up a small climb to a church yard, where they hit what proved to be the biggest obstacle of the race - a set of stairs in front of the church that led to a number of crashes and flat tires when riders hit the base of the stairs too hard. After a few tight turns through narrow streets, the riders then went down a narrow ramp and into the town square, before circling around the end and hitting one final corner before the sprint to the line.

In the women's final, Rissveds was joined by Engen, Kathrin Stirnemann (Sabine Spitz Haibike) and Australia's Rowena Fry. Not making the final were favourites Anneke Beerten (Milka-Superior), who flatted while leading her semi-final race, and Great Britain's Tracy Moseley, who crashed hard in her semi-final.

Rissveds had a very strong start in the final, hitting the turn to the footbridge first, just ahead of Engen. The two Swedish riders then held off Stirnemann to take the top spots, with Fry rolling in fourth.

Rissveds screamed as she crossed the finish line, ecstatic at her win. "It is awesome to win this race. It was very hard, I tried to take the lead at start because it was important to be very tough and be first through the first corner. Then it was just to to stay ahead to the finish. It is awesome to have two Swedish riders on the podium. Alexandra (Engen) means a lot to me. She has taught me very much."

Results

We know the price will make a lot of you flinch, but if you’re a devotee of merino wool you’ll already know that it doesn’t come cheap. Plus, the Rapha Country is actually a more complicated version known as Sportwool. 

It’s a mix of merino and polyester, with merino inside and a smooth polyester outside. The idea is you get all the natural comfort benefits of merino wool against your skin, but once sweat is wicked through to the manmade surface it disperses and dries more quickly than it would in an all-wool jersey.

We like the way merino gets warm to a point and then suddenly your temperature seems to regulate, and we weren’t disappointed by this version of it. It’s especially good when a ride starts in the morning chill then warms up.

The cut, we cannot lie, is slim to roadie-skinny. It’s also very short. We’d like to say go up a size if you prefer the relaxed look, but suspect the immaculate styling wouldn’t work, so you’re just going to have to suck it in...

The finish is exceptionally high quality. Details such as a hem gripper and hidden drawcord add value, and we love the practicality of the inner pump sleeve and oversized zip pull on the valuables pocket. 

This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.

Western Washington to Host the Northwest’s First Women-Only Freeride Mountain Bike Event for both Pro and amateur riders.

Jeron Holy and firends took advantage of some good weather to get sideways. What else would you do with a little sunshine?!

Want your photos to be considered for Vital's Daily Shot and Weekly Comp? Upload here. more »

We went riding today. So did Andreu Lacondeguy. Check out his work at the FMB World Tour here.

Or watch this—and then head back to the ‘fridge for another beverage.

By Kevin Rouse

Niner E.M.D. 9 $550 (frame only)
ninerbikes.com

First things first, basketball’s not exactly my forte, I rely on stepstools quite a bit and, freshly shaven with a beanie and sunglasses on, I was able to get youth lift passes well into my late teens.

Accordingly, when 29ers hit the scene, I was relatively unimpressed—although that was mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t even get a leg over any of them. It took awhile before more sizing options started trickling down to the smaller end of the spectrum, so my 29er break-in period came a bit later than most. Even then, it was pretty hard to replicate my position from my 26-inch bikes, and the geometry was often far from dialed.

So when when Niner announced their plans to offer the E.M.D in an extra-small size—with promising geometry figures, claims of zero toe-overlap and plenty of heel clearance—I was on the phone straightaway to request one for testing.

The XS Niner E.M.D. nixes chain and seatstay bridges in order to preserve the ride characteristics of the larger-sized frames.

Seeing as how the E.M.D. 9 is built around either an 80- or 100-millimeter fork, it seemed that “testing” should probably include at least a race or two, which meant I finally had the perfect excuse to sign up for the Whiskey 50 in Prescott, Arizona. Planning to do boatloads of training aboard the E.M.D. and subsequently mopping up the floor with the competition, it’s funny how life seems to get in the way of such things.

Well, two training rides later saw me and the E.M.D. at the start line with the E.M.D. exhibiting considerably more poise than myself. I got more than a few compliments on the bike’s scintillating Hot Tamale paint job from folks, while in their eyes I could also see them relegating me in their mental matchup to pack fill. To make a long story a little less long, I ended up spending more time than initially planned perched upon the E.M.D.

The frame’s new tapered headtube affords plenty of surface area upon which to mate some massive down and toptube shapes in order to keep stiffness high and weight low.

Thankfully, that wasn’t an unpleasant experience. The Niner’s handling was nimble without being too twitchy—which is a very welcome trait when your fatigue-riddled brain isn’t moving quite as fast as the rest of your body. The ride, was also better than expected from an aluminum hardtail—something Niner attributes to the frame’s recent redesign that includes new hydroformed tube shapes that allow for careful tuning of the frame’s ride qualities.

Even if you tack that up as pure marketing, which I’m disinclined to do in this case, that seems like some solid bang for your buck for a frame that’s priced below most higher-end wheelsets. Throw in the fact that the frame weighs a respectable 3.72 pounds and its hard to go wrong with the Niner E.M.D 9.

For those looking for a few more features, and slightly lower weight Niner offers the Air 9, which offers modern amenities like a PressFit bottom bracket (the E.M.D. sports a standard threaded BB) an integrated headset and more aggressive hydroforming (to shave weight). But, those features will set you back a cool $300.

The E.M.D. forgoes it’s higher-priced sibling’s integrated headset, opting for a more economical zero-stack option. It still sports the same burly tapered headtube though.

With such a low price tag, the E.M.D. opens up the doors to some serious performance for the journeyman racers among us, and leaves plenty of coin to spare for some higher-end race bits. Fo my setup, I chose to go with SRAM’s new GripShift X0 which seemed tailor-made for race situations (and everyday riding too for that matter). I’m pleased to see it come back to life, improved and better than ever. More to come on that later, so be sure to check back in a few weeks.

The XX-level SID feaures the Xloc remote, which came in handy for the Whiskey 50′s infamous fire road climbs while the Sun Ringlé Black Flag XC wheel set adds a bit of punk-rock flair and keeps the overall build cost down yet still offers great performance for the price.

SRAM’s GripShift makes for quite the tidy cockpit—even with the Xloc remote installed.

I’ll still be riding the E.M.D. for a full test period, though it’s hard to foresee my verdict changing—that being that the E.M.D. 9 is is one hell of a bargain, and for shorter riders, a low-cost chance to enter into the world of the wagon wheel. The E.M.D.’s low-cost, high-performance equation is one that’s pretty tough to beat.

Sportful’s ultra-thin Total Comfort bibs need a little care to put on, and are less elastic than most, but once in place they evenly spread the load across the body. Wide and slim leg grippers are gently elasticated with minimal silicone patches, but are very comfortable. 

The pad is made up of five variable foam densities, putting extra cushioning where it’s needed. A tough, abrasion-resistant textured centre section limits saddle slip, and lighter Lycra ceramic fabric sides keep muscles cool. 

With an innovative bib, a wonderfully upholstered pad and feather-edged leg grippers, these race worthy lightweight shorts offer everything you could ask for and will satisfy the most demanding wearer. They really couldn't have been given a better name. The only thing we're not sure about are the orange and white bib straps.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.