MTB

Twentynineinches and twentynineinches-DE have been in Sedona, Arizona at the Magura Press Camp sampling the 2014 versions of their forks and brakes.  We will have all that and more a little later on, including time on the new 140mm/150mm 29er fork, but we wanted to show this bit of technology first. Magura Elect, it is called.  It brings modern, wireless electronic technology to the way you control your forks damping.  Available on XC/Race forks, like a 100mm 29er version, the Elect replaces the compression damping cartridge, knob, remote cable lockout, etc, and does the thinking for you.  It works with or without the wireless handlebar remote ‘button’.  You calibrate the cartridge by holding your bike upright and level and pressing and holding the button on the fork mounted cartridge.  It calibrates, flashes to let you know it is ready, and then you go ride.  When it senses a change in pitch or angle of the fork, it unlocks.  For instance…when you tilt your iPhone or smartphone and the screen ‘flips’ around to a wide view…there ya go.  Accelerometers.   It is not bump force activated, rather position sensing.  IE…pop a wheelie and the fork locks up.  Point your bike down something and it opens.  It will at some point, in a possible future addition, allow you to download data as to how the damper has been working…how many times it opened, under what conditions, etc. This is not a long travel fork application, rather a race/XC shorter travel fork, but it is very interesting and I can see an application for race bikes where you just want to be on the gas and let the Elect do the thinking for you.  It is also backwards compatible to the older Durin line of XC forks. It also saves 20-25g off the typical DLO2 damper cartridge.  It has a sleep mode so if it sees no movement for five minutes, it stops battery drain.  A 3 hour charge time with a micro USB port gives you a 40-60 hour run time.  If the battery goes below the limit of what it needs to operate, it defaults to ‘open’ mode. The handlebar mounted remote overrides the auto feature of the Elect and makes it into a manual on/off deal, and you choose the state by pushing the button on the tidy little control module…my words for it, not theirs.  It pairs to the Elect cartridge by Bluetooth technology.  So if you want to do the work instead of the auto feature, you can be in control.  The entire assembly is waterproof. Did you ever think you would be plugging your fork into the wall charger?  As well, it is an interesting compromise as there are times you may want to have an active fork even when climbing.  Still, it is pretty cool technology and along with the other improvements in the fork line from Magura, it looks like 2014 will see them making deeper inroads into both the trail and race bike suspension market in the US. Twenty Nine Inches - 29er Bike Reviews, Rumors and News

Clint Reynolds (along with various cohorts) has been an integral part of Texas Toast Jam since the very first one. Given his ability to maintain his own trails (ie- the most scariest looking jumps EVAR), his handiness and his proximity to the event, makes it a no brainer to have him involved in the construction of the dirt course. No bitching, just ass kicking. Here’s Clint enjoying the fruits of his labor with a casual/stylish/classic tuck back in 2011. I shot this photo from behind a fence outside of the site, which explains the white streaks. It was a warm, breezy afternoon. This plot of land will soon be condos/offices. -Nuno © Nuno for Defgrip, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: 2011, austin, Clint Reynolds, defgrip, texast toast jam

Candy Smokes & Processed Beef Products!It's the big weekend holiday and everyone will be scrambling to recreate. Lots of barbeque, beer, and whatever else trips yer trigger. But just for a moment, let's not forget why we're getting to do all these crazy things in the U.S. of A. these days.Our folks that served in uniform, giving the ultimate sacrifice in many cases, deserve our thanks and recognition. Say thanks to a Veteran, or at least make a special note of thanks in a way that seems significant to you at some point this weekend. It's the least we can do.....More Stories Added: Just an update to a past Friday News And Views where I listed all the T.I.V9 stories and accounts I had at the time. There are more added now, in case you want to check it out. If anyone knows of accounts that are not listed there and want to suggest adding them, just comment here or hit me with an e-mail.A Mule Kickin' In The Stall: As most of you cycling geeks are aware of, this is the midst of the Pro Cycling season and local criteriums are on at full tilt. It is with this in mind that I would like to point out the most recent "Bicycle Times", (edition #23), which just hit my mailbox today. (I know......a paper magazine! They still exist!) Anyway, the publisher, one Maurice Teirney, of "Dirt Rag" fame, writes a letter flaming Pro Cycling and its deleterious effects on riders of the more common cloth and on the cycling industry at large. The letter starts out with "To hell with pro cycling!" and rants on from there. Definitely worth reading, if you get a chance.I would agree with much of Mr. Teirney's points, but I also see a couple things worth noting. One: Big Maurice is a mountain bike dude from way back. (In fact, he's in the MTB Hall of Fame, if you didn't know.) There has always been a bit of "anti-roadie" in the culture of mountain biking, and I'm certain Mr. Teirney is steeped in that culture. Secondly- pro racing has paid his rent, at least in part, for many years, so I find it interesting, and a bit ironic, that he would so vehemently go after Pro Road Cycling.That said- I get why he's peeved too. Well......go read it if you can. That's "Bicycle Times" issue #23, page 9. 3GR:This week the ride is being moved again! Due to high water this time, the 3GR will once again start from Gates Park swimming pool parking lot at 8:30am tomorrow. It sounds like there is a 50/50 chance there may be a thunder storm late in the morning, so I will be keeping an eye on the sky, but as of now, the ride is on.I am not sure anyone will show up, because it is a Holiday weekend, but I will be there and likely on the BMC. I wanted to ride the Vaya, but I discovered that an odd sensation at the pedals turned out to be a slightly loose crank arm. I haven't taken it off to inspect it yet, but I fear the splines are wallowed out and that is not good.So, I'll look into that later into the weekend, but for now it'll be the ol', reliable Black Mountain Cycles rig. Which needs a new bottom bracket, by the way. I should do something about that before it becomes "critical"! For some reason I want to put a Chris King in it and replace the head set with a King unit as well. Both silver, of course. That bike is worth that upgrade!

Airborne Hobgoblin FS 29″er: First Impressions- by Guitar Ted It has been awhile now, but I have posted the Out Of The Box on the Hobgoblin here. Now that the trails are finally open, I have a First Impressions post ready to share. First though, some tech to pass on with a few numbers to chew on as well…. Airborne Hobgoblin Geometry: One of the things I missed last post was the geometry of the Hobgoblin. It is a very different bike than the last full suspension 29″er I tested! That was a long, low chassis with slightly slacker angles than this blue meanie. The Hobgoblin sports a steeper geometry than many newer full suspension 29″ers with a head angle of 71° and a seat tube angle of 73°, (as I measured them static, no rider on board), so a bit different in that regard. The chain stays are a longish 18″. Again- something we were used to seeing only a year or two ago, but this is now on the extreme. The bottom bracket seemed a bit tall to me out of the box, and it is: 13 1/4″ unsagged. I measured the top tube at 24 1/8th”, which seems a bit short for a size Large these days. The bike sports a long tiller to make up for that though, with a 110mm stem stock. Weighty Matters: As I mentioned in the Out Of The Box, the Hobgoblin seems a bit portly at 31+ pounds, but with a bit of judicious parts swapping, a rider could dump a fair amount of weight right away. Specifically noted here are the wire bead AKA tires, which weigh 940gms each. (Standard TNT folders in the AKA model weigh 730 gms for reference) Tubes weighed 230 gms each, so by going to a lighter tubeless tire model a rider could cut a quick 1.75lbs off the Hobgoglin pretty easily. Maybe even a little more. Suddenly it doesn’t seem quite so heavy when you consider that, but it is on the consumer to make that change, obviously. Ride Impressions: The Hobgoblin was ridden on some wettish, slippery, rooty trails and a big section of new cut trail with some outings on dry dirt to boot. Upon mounting the bike I felt “on top” of the rig, and not “down in” the bike, as I have on some of the other full suspension rigs tested over the past year or so. Chalk that up to the high bottom bracket and the shortish front center. The Hobgoblin cuts through corners with authority in tight single track. This fully is by far the quickest handling of the lot I’ve tested in over a year or so. The long back end did not seem to hang me up, but it did make lofting the front end a chore. This is compounded by the short front/long stem which pins the front wheel by biasing your weight to the front more. Good for fast cornering, bad for playfulness. I liked the way the Hobgoblin climbed. It has a planted feel, and with that longer chain stay, it prefers a seated climber and it will steer at slow speed almost too easily due to the long stem/steeper head tube angle that it has. The suspension can be set to be active and it helps dig that rear tire in on the steeps. (More on the suspension set up momentarily.) Going down wasn’t bad either, but you are committed to pinning the front wheel due to the way the Airborne is laid out. It almost is as if you are on an old school XC racer, really. Chassis feel was stiff. Probably on top of the heap when it comes to torsional and lateral rigidity. The Airborne is quite impressive in this regard. Suspension Set Up: here is where I feel the Hobgoblin falls a little flat. The Monarch dampers, (which have appeared on several of the past full suspension rigs coming through here of late), have been pretty decent dampers. However; the RL version on this Airborne is not a great match for the bike, in my opinion. You have the choice of running the damper “wide open” or locked out, and neither works great, if you set the bike up in the “normal” way. I did find a way to “trick” the damper into doing my bidding though. Instead of setting up the sag in t

Folks who are SLC locals will recognize this - the lookout on top of Mt. Wire. Almost 3000 feet of climbing from WW world HQ in only 5 miles - ouch! It's actually a pretty neat ride, though about 5% is hiking (at least for me, at least without a granny gear). The descent is pretty fun semi-techy stuff (I went back down the way I climbed up, will try something different next time) but you've gotta watch out for hikers and some of it is precarious/technical/steep/blind cornered. Fun.As a side note, the climbing traction on Stupidmobile is amazing. Stupid short chainstays FTW!

I think it was about the time my hair on my head fell out and my beard turned gray that I started appreciating things that are well-worn, but not worn out. Funny how that distinction suddenly became important. But I love old stuff that still works. I can be fiercely loyal to a good piece of gear, sometimes even using it past the point at which it should have been tossed in a trash bin. I’ve been accused of being cheap – and maybe I am – but I enjoy the patina of hard use. I also feel good about using stuff for a long time instead of being quick to dispose of it. Call me a greenie. I hate waste. A couple of weeks ago, the zipper pulls finally snapped off the old neoprene shoe covers that I use in the fall and spring. I fixed one by attaching a zip-tie to pull the zipper up and down. The other zipper was so trashed that I resorted to operating it with pliers. I’ve been keeping a multi-tool at my office so I can take off my flippin’ shoe when I get to work. There’s something that’s just wrong about that. And something that’s just right.

The Lazyman’s Strawberry and Rhubard Pie continues in a series of non-camping-related recipes. Except that, a cyclist’s gotta eat, and it’s always good to have a few quick and tasty recipes up your sleeve, to thank Warmshowers hosts and the like. It’s so called because the crust (spelt, in this case, from Whole Foods) is ready made. Shame on us! And because it’s super easy to make. But that’s ok, because it still tastes delicious, and you can bask in the knowledge that, relatively speaking, it’s not a refined sugar fest. Being in season right now, the strawberries and rhubarb make for a lovely colour. Warning: it can be kind of gloopy, and won’t win any serving awards. But you’ll forgive it once you take your first gulp. What you need: 2 pints of strawberries 2 rhubarbs 1 cup of date sugar 1 lemon 1 pie crust What to do: Preheat oven to 400F. Chop up strawberries and rhubarb, nice and small. Place in a bowl, mix with date sugar and lemon juice. Spoon mix into the pie crust. Cover with foil. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, reduce the heat to 350F, then pop back in for another 20 minutes. Allow to cool, then serve! It’s that time of year: plump strawberries and fresh rhubarb a plenty.  Chop strawberries. Done. Chop rhubarb. Done. Mix in the date sugar. Squeeze in a lemon. (get that pip!) Give it all a good stir, then spoon into crust. All set. Into the oven it goes. 20 mins at 400F, then 20 mins at 350F, with the foil removed. And hey presto. Allow to cool, then devour.

A new piece I did on French Montana for Dazed and Confused just dropped today. It was rad to get to chill with French and I had a great time putting this piece together. I shot with him for a few days in New York, in the studio, at a photo shoot, at Hot 97, and rolled around in his Ghost… Check it out above and keep reading for a few photos from the shoot. © Harrison for Defgrip, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: dazed and confused, french montana, harrison boyce

It's 9 p.m. and the sun has finally set giving us some relief from the heat. Brad Newby's giant truck's headlights are beaming my direction and I can see well enough to fasten my headlights to my bike. Even with the sun behind the mountains, it's still almost 100 degrees. We haven't started riding yet and I'm already sweating.The post Night Riding appeared first on Cycling Utah.

Satirical? Yes. Enigmatic? Certainly. Hilarious? Always. Keep an eye on the Hey Zeus blog for constant entertainment and hit up their web store to get your hands on goods like the amazing Holy Trinity button shown above along with some other goods–a couple of my favorites are featured after the jump. The “R Kalvin” tee. If you’ve spent some time in the more “special” parts of America, you’ll probably understand this one… Adam Roye’s 2012 Annals. © andrewbrady for Defgrip, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: adam roye, hey zeus publishing, r kelly