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by Alan “Danger” Zinniker Go to any high-level professional cyclocross or road race, and watch the professional European mechanics clean and work on a bike. They’re not dealing with workstands with finicky clamps that can crush lightweight carbon frames or seatposts, but take care... ...view the full story & post your comments at our site: http://cxmagazine.com

Last week I wrote about this subject in relation to bicycle frames for 29"ers. Today I want to talk about another major component that carbon fiber is used for: wheels. Does carbon make wheels "better"?Several years ago, 29"ers were not getting the "best" engineering, tech, or features like the smaller 26"ers were. Back then, (I am talking like '07-'08), you could get on a 29"er, slam it into a corner, and most likely you would feel a lot of wheel flex. Aluminum extrusions for 29"ers were mostly scaled up 26 extrusions and not specifically designed for the stresses that bigger wheels cause when riders do that mountain biking thing. The answer back then was carbon.At that time, a Utah based company named "Edge Composites", (Now Enve), rolled out a couple carbon 29"er hoops that radically changed how riders would perceive the 29"er handling traits. The Edge wheels were stiffer. Way stiffer than anything else out there at the time. Yes- they were, ( and still are), super expensive. But if you could afford them, they would radicalize your 29"er experience. In fact, it took frames a while to catch up to how far Edge had taken the possibilities for frame stiffness and wheel rigidity in concert with each other.But since then, aluminum designs for wheels in the plus size have come a long way. The gulf between aluminum and carbon in terms of ride performance has narrowed dramatically. Is carbon fiber even worth it anymore for 29"er wheels?Aluminum rims have come a long way for 29"ersCase in point: SRAM introduced some new wheels recently- the Roam and Rail wheels, (see here), and you have a direct comparison between what you get and what you don't get, (at least on paper), with comparably designed and purposed aluminum and carbon rims.The Roam 60, a carbon rimmed 29"er wheel weighs in at 1625g, has a 28mm outer/21mm inner rim dimension, and costs $2199.00. Now the similar Roam 50, with an aluminum rim, weighs 1610 gms, has a 25 outer/ 21mm inner rim dimension, and sells for $1072.00. You can see that weight, inner rim dimension, and the cost are the three specs that jump out here.The aluminum Roam 50 actually weighs less, has the same inner rim dimension, and is over a grand cheaper. To be fair, SRAM says the carbon rim on the Roam 60 actually weighs 10 grams less than the aluminum Roam 50 rim, but so what? (You can not buy just rims here, right?) And what's 10 grams versus saving a grand? Again- SRAM has said the Roam 60 is stronger. (Interestingly, the word stiffer was not used to describe the Roam 60 rim versus the Roam 50 rim, but I don't know that it is not stiffer.)Well, you can argue the minutiae all you want, but the difference in price is not minute. The difference in performance? Maybe not so much, eh? It will be interesting to see, but again- Carbon doesn't automatically call out "better" here. And even if it is, by a little bit, the costs are dramatically different which seems to point to less value in the carbon format. Thinking about some of the other details on those SRAM rims brings this out even more.And not all carbon rims are appointed or perform similarly, I get that. However; there are not too many companies making such similar wheel models in carbon and aluminum. In this case, the promise of carbon fiber seems to have a flat taste in the mouth.

Ride Impression: Yeti SB95C- by Grannygear [Note:  This is a ride impression, not a full review and as such we will need to take into consideration that the set-up of suspension and bike fit may not have been optimized as it would have been during a longer review period.  Just for perspective's sake, etc.  Editors.] The second bike I grabbed out of the Yeti Demo van was a lovely looking Yeti SB95C, the carbon version of the aluminum SB95 120mm full suspension trail bike 29″er that Yeti rolled out a couple of years ago.  I rode that aluminum version at Interbike Demo Days and liked it very much.  So it was with a great deal of anticipation that I grabbed onto the LG sized SB95C and went through the set-up process. With a claimed weight of 27lbs (no pedals) in the LG/XT equipped bike I rode, the SB95C is in the weight range to be competitive in the 120mm/130mm 29″er trail bike market.  I was told that the typical setting on the Fox Float CTD rear shock was the D or most open position as the Yeti was designed to be very stable when pedaling it.  Out on the long, smooth dirt road to the trail head I found that to be true.  Pedaling did not seem to make the Switch Technology activate at all, although later on I did get some anti-squat to show up when in the small ring/big gear combo and standing pedaling.  It was minimal, about like the Ripley showed and it was not an issue…but I am getting ahead of myself. What I did notice was a very supple rear end that moved though its initial travel very easily.  And, it continued to move through the range of travel having what felt like a very flat spring curve.  It settled down into the travel too easily for my desires so I set the rear shock into the ‘T’ position and two clicks in toward the firmer setting. That felt much better to me, but I like a firmer feeling suspension.  For instance, I have never gotten along with something like VPP that is uber supple.  I ended up leaving it there…in ‘T’ for the rear shock and most of the time in ‘D’ or open on the front Fox 34 120mm fork.  That felt balanced to me, and I still was getting full travel on the rear shock, if I can believe the o-ring. The SB95C pedals along very well in the saddle but I like to climb out of the saddle quite a bit…singlespeed disease… and the recent Ibis Ripley felt very good under that condition.  The Yeti was a bit less excited about this and so I tended to sit and spin away more than stand.  It is possible that a bit less sag in the rear shock could have tipped this to my favor a bit, but that is speculation.  I bet that this will not be an issue for most buyers of this bike. Now, I noticed the slacker front end right away but it did not feel like I should have a 50mm stem and 780mm bars on it.  It was not an issue climbing either and after a bit of time, it just felt natural to me.  No need for a Talas fork application in my opinion.  Yeti also specs the bike with a 140mm fork and that would have been very interesting to try the bike that way.  But that would have been way overkill for the trails I was on this day though. Dropping into the same trail I had covered on the ARC Carbon, I was already digging the handling of the SB95C.  It took a bit of planning and some handlebar action to get the bike to turn fast, but it was so solid and quite agile, most likely the short 17.5″ back end was the saving grace here.  You could come into a turn fast, hit the excellent Shimano brakes, then drive out of the turn letting that short back end pivot right around underneath you.  As chain stays on 29″ers have been getting shorter, they have been feeling better and better.  Even in ‘T’ setting, the rear end was absorbing all the medium and bigger hits and only showing some chatter in the smaller stuff.  Going to ‘D’ mode erased those too. At the end of the trails, I was very happy with the overall vibe of the SB95C.  I co

Despite my annual insistence I am done with the event... somehow I keep finding myself back at Waipa, fronting the starter for the annual and somewhat iconic moonride. This time under the guise of promotional duties for my new workplace where amongst my duties is sales of Magellan fitness GPS products. So a solid team was assembled and the Magellan Strava-Tards (Louis Crosby, Olly Shaw, Graham Norman, Josh Kenyon, and myself) were unleashed to take on the young guns of Team Endura and off to Rotorua we went. The boys and girls at MBR had assisted in planning out a pretty cool loop. Unfortunately the weather didn't want to play ball, and what had been a great track was shortened to a less gruelling loop. A good move for safety, but the downside being increased wheel traffic on the trails that were used, and consequently a huge amount of track deterioration throughout the day. As shown pictoriallyLate in my first lap (around 2hrs or so into the event), already trying to seek out the drier less muddied lines. Ever the optimist?! One lap (14min or so) later and the strain is already starting to show on the face. Out on course we were witnessing amazing crashes and mishaps. People falling down banks I never even realised existed, as they couldn't even maintain footing on small pinches that in the dry you almost roll up with no pedalling... yet now you could barely stand on. ?Hands up if you've ridden Rotorua? So you'll know Tahi trail... the really easy flowing grade 2 trail getting everyone into the forest. 6hrs or so into the race and it was way faster to run ?Some parts of the trails were still rideable. Sometimes. With care. Anyone who survived even one lap later in the day (and especially at night) intact and still smiling deserves a medal. It was pretty epic ? The easy open stuff through the tent village on the grass (?) was holding up really well too. There were some interesting and entertaining crashes throughout the day Despite the challenges the boys kept up their spirits, ate plenty of lollies, and maintained some pretty solid form all day. So much so that the small lead edged out, to a final winning margin of 1 lap + another 9 or 10mins. Pretty solid display, and earned us all one of these medals. Even better... with an earlier start time, and the race cut an hour short..... I was home, showered, and warm in bed by 10pm. Bonus!

Going to Moab has always been something of a pilgrimage for me. I grew up in Salt Lake City, where Moab is only four hours away. The first time I rode the slickrock trail, as a teenager, I was hooked. All I could think about was my next Moab trip, and how I could con family or friends into going with me. As the desire to ski resorts faded, and frustration with winter grew, the desire to be in Moab was even stronger. It was paradise. 2 day trips were worth it, even sub-24 hours. Any chance to go play on the rocks, to be bask in the desert sun, I’d take it. Then I went to Tucson for grad school. Moab was a lot further away, and colder. Plus there was so much to do in southern Arizona. So many trails to ride and discover. Moab faded from the forefront of my mind, because, as my brother said to me, sitting on his bike overlooking Starr Pass, “congratulations, you live in Moab!” Or some would argue, somewhere better than Moab. But it still has a special place in my MTB heart. I’ve never been epic’d so hard as I have in Moab. Running out of daylight and making wrong turns on Porcupine Rim after the family Station Wagon’s alternator went out, delaying our start. Running out of water before even reaching the base of Jacob’s Ladder, having to descend Amasa Back in the heat of day and with relief only offered by the McDonald’s on the corner of Main and Kane Springs. Losing the trail and my Dad, while trying to navigate Gold Bar Rim before any dots were painted. And on and on. Oh Moab! I’ve been back a few times over the last 10 years, but primarily it’s been to do ‘silly’ things like ride/race the Kokopelli or Grand Loop. Both of those are amazing in their own way, and have thoroughly epic’d me, but it’s not quite the same. In many ways, Moab taught me how to ride a mountain bike. It has been far too long since I went to Moab with the simple goal of: riding. The weather on the Front Range was cold and wet. We saw our window, loaded up the sports van, and headed west. Moab here we come! Or, Fruita first. We had enough time for a couple hour sunset ride, but only if we stopped in Fruita. It was a brilliant plan. Good camping and a new trail for me, one particularly beautiful in the evening light. girl+sunset love 1 I’ve seen people riding this glorious piece of singletrack from the 2-track of Kokopelli before and wondered why, oh why, was I not on it? girl+sunset love 2 The golden hour and the sky painting hour seemed to stretch on and on. Just one of those special nights. We only needed lights for the very last bits of trail back to the van. Camping was under the stars, then it was on to Moab! We used the wonder of Eszter’s smart phone to coordinate meeting up with Mike, Lenore and Petey Spice. Amasa Back was the ride of choice. A favorite of the Morris family, and one I had not ridden in over 10 years. Lucky for me, I had Mike to show me all the lines. I used to know a few fun ones, but he has a whole repertoire. photo by Mike Curiak – more here Some went smoothly. Others were just at my limit, and resulted in adrenaline flood. photo by Mike Curiak Others I fumbled on. Or didn’t even attempt. Some challenged Mike (he did get the above pictured move, though I am still not quite sure how). He took us further out on the mesa than I think I’ve been before. And perhaps a little too far for a couple in our group, who lost the sessiony desire after many hours of proceeding 200 feet at a time. We put some continuous pedaling to work, at last, just as a thin wall of rain gave the rock domes in front of us a shimmering fuzzy coating. The wall would cover us as we rode the new “Captain Ahab” trail back down to the creek. Mike destroyed his wheel and had to walk out. Eszter and I continued on to camp, then met the whole crew, plus Jeny, at Paradox Pizza.

Cedric Gracia Through my eyes #1 - Punta Ala from Lucas Stanus on Vimeo.

Believe it or not, I do 4 or 5 road frames every year to go with the 50 or so mountain bike frames. I sometimes wish (from a monetary standpoint) that I built more - road bikes are pretty easy, all things considered - nobody bugs you about squishing 2.4" tires into crazy short chainstays, or 140mm travel forks, or weird brake setups. Someday I will eat those words when someone comes to me wanting a Di2 internal routing wonderbike, probably...This is Daniel's, just after welding up the front end.

This that shit right here. © damian for Defgrip, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags:

Perfect light, dying on the vine trying to follow my itty bitty spouse up 800 feet of climbing right out the door in the early morning 38 degrees. No complaints here folks. The trails are lovely (those that were not clear cut) and the woods are empty and happy and inviting us in......