MTB

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.

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......

This frame is to be a display item-but not forever. It will eventually find an owner. I built it for a display that will feature a number of other hand built bikes. I can't say where it will be yet or who is involved but I'm sure it will be a cool lineup. This is a 58 cm road frame made for a tapered steerer fork. The tubing is a variety of 7005 aluminum, most notably my very last Easton 'penta' top tube. I think I only ever had three of these. These were U.S. made and extinct for at least seven years.The downtube and chain stays are Easton tubes from Taiwan from about three years ago. The rest of the tubing came from Fairing industrial, my current source of 7005 tubes. I have access to some tubes from Columbus and Dedaccai but they are in short supply these days.

This is the last carpet we have from the stash of historic masterpieces my grandfather made on the loom 67 years ago.I wonder what he was thinking when he choose the yarns, the colors, the weave. I can literally see the unwoven threads moving through his hands as he imagines what just one more carpet may look like. This one he will hold onto. Its not for sale. How could he have known that this carpet would be kept neatly rolled up in a closet for the rest of his life? How could he have known that someday in the distant future the woman who would soon become his wife would discover it the day she moves out of their house. Their home of 61 years. The home they would eventually raise 4 children in. On the day she finds the carpet, amongst all the other remnants of their well lived lives she would think to give it to me, their granddaughter. It was kept safe so that it could land in my hands, his granddaughters hands, to be appreciated- absolutely treasured. This carpet is now the most important thing I own.Looking at this carpet makes me think about something I've been saying, thinking and hearing a lot lately. How you do anything is how you do everything. How you weave a carpet on a loom one day might shape the thoughts of someone your directly related to 67 years later. It may give them context for how they do anything is how they are going to do everything.These are my great-grandmother Sadie's thimbles and those are my grandmother Elaine's hands. Sadie Green used these thimbles her whole life and gave them to Elaine so she too could use them for the rest of hers. The women in my family were known for their hand sewn quilts and after years and years of stitching quilts the bones in your hands start to move into a new position- so that you may better hold the needle. These thimbles are in perfectly good shape, better shape than most of the quilts themselves. Those five thimbles are responsible for 100s of quilts. These prized possessions are all sewn with intent. They are intended to go to children or grandchildren on the occasion they get married or have their first child. When I was younger I used to question my grandmother about this- suggest to her that its silly to let such beautiful quilts sit unused in a cedar chest until something significant happens... but I think I take back that stance. I get it now. In some ways the sewing of each of those quilts was a prayer. Each stitch a seed of hope for what may come in your children's lives. A blessing patterned together with scraps of fabric.These are my mother's boots. She got married to my dad in these boots wearing a western shirt and jeans. Four days ago I marched on the airplane back to Colorado wearing these boots, hoping to reunite them with the dance floor so they can once again know a good country western tune... and maybe someday meet a man down the isle, just the way they did for her.I am full of my families nostalgia- things I've never experienced literally before but all tiny pieces of my history- things that lead to me coming to be in the world. With this overwhelming consciousness I'm full of gratitude and awareness. Awareness that everything I touch in this world is significant. All actions lead to something else, something that hopefully someone will treasure even more than you could ever begin to know in that moment.My grandparent's wedding day, June 9th, 1951

This Friday night May 24th, 6 PM at the Methodist Church in Carson City, Rick Gunn will be giving his soulcycler presentation. Words and Images from a 25,811-Mile bicycle journey Around-The-World. Soulcycler combines 350 breath-taking photos from 33 countries, set to music, accompanied by a selection of uniquely emotional stories from around the globe. Inspired by a series of formative experiences during his childhood, Gunn delivers a front-row seat to the pursuit of his lifelong dream of cycling the planet. WHAT: Soulcycler WHEN: Friday, May 24th at 6:00 PM WHERE: First United Methodist Church, 212 North Division Street (at the corner of Division and Musser Streets) COST: Admission is free, but donations for Muscle Powered will be kindly accepted. MORE INFO: www.soulcycler.com Rick Gunn Thank you to Muscle Powered of Carson City for organizing this event! Related posts: 6th Tour of Carson City Bike Ride Please join us for the 6th Annual Tour of Carson... Get Ready for Bike Month Story originally appearing on MusclePowered.org by Anne Macquarie Next month... Great Holiday Deals at Carson Bike Shops Are you looking for some good shopping deals this weekend,... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

We have been working with American Icon Screen printing pretty much since they opened their doors, and Rob and Andy who run the joint were there at the inception of FBM in upstate NY many moons ago. All the guys over at Icon in Newburgh are kick ass, and this Limited Edition Shimano DX Screen Print just reinforces, the skill, character, and commitment to the culture of Bikes, Art, Fun, and so forth that those guys have dedicated their business to. The Shimano DX pedals are iconic and legendary, so it’s fitting that these guys would pay homage to it within their art. Very Stoked on it. One of the things we have always chosen to do, for the most part at FBM over the years, is try to work with people we are friends with, and build a sense of community, rather than just randomly order out of catalogs from faceless factories and the like. On that note, I just want to say Thanks to American Icon for the bad ass poster, as well as all the years of support of FBM, and the 20 years of friendship we share!