And the Winner is....

Congratulations go to Jon Walter of North Carolina, who got the correct number of bikes, four.
And while he doesn't actually have a 29er yet, he is almost there with a shiny new IRC Mythos II rear tire.
So, in order, here they are.


The ever present Karate Monkey. I have had this bike longer than any other in my life (going on 3+ years now). This machine is constantly evolving and will never leave the stable. If I had never bought it, Bike 29 might not even exist...


Ahhh.... Red 5.
It's untimely demise was tragic, and it's time is still cherished to this day. I believe in reincarnation, and it's soul will ride again.


Orange Bike was eager to fill the giant shoes of Red 5. Gears became necessary. Witness to the Meat-up, this bike helped to expand my parameters of what is actually capable on a 29er. I crashed harder and more frequently on this bike in the first week than I did all last year while pursuing it's limits. I never found them, but I found mine, which leads us to...


The RIP.
This bike makes so much possible.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Spider Impressions

So, not one person that I know has anything bad to say about the Spider.
This bike utilizes a Virtual Pivot Point (VPP) suspension linkage which Intense and Santa Cruz have pioneered and perfected. You can read the details about the design here.
Being really pleased with the way my current (albeit broken) ride behaves, the Spider had some big shoes to fill.


So here's the breakdown.

Spec
This bike came to me with a full XTR kit, including the controversial Dual Control levers, Bontrager Race Lite wheelset, and Bontrager Jones XR tires.

I 86'd the Bonti wheels and tires, in favor of my Royale wheelset and Panaracer Rampage tires. No hard feelings towards the folks in Wisconsin, but my wheels are stronger and lighter. The XRs are not suitable tires for the type of terrain I was playing on.
The good news is, there was plenty of room for the 2.35 Rampage.
If I could have, I would have 86'd the Dual Control levers too, but I'll get to that.

Set up
The bike came with a set of low rise bars, and a low rise 110mm stem that was inverted. This gives a good bar height relative to the saddle for riders that would be riding a size medium frame. As I am not a medium frame candidate, I flipped the stem to get the right height. I had the correct saddle height, but the top tube proved to be too short for me.
While I was on the phone with Fox (regarding the rear shock on my RIP) I learned how to get the most out of the RP23 that this Spider is equipped with.
Sag was about 10mm measured at the shock, with the Pro Pedal setting on 2.
The Reba was set at 90/90 (positive/negative).

Ride
Like everyone before me who has spent time on this bike, I marveled at how well it climbed. One of the reasons why VPP is so popular, is the way the suspension feels. It literally squirts you forward. It feels very snappy, and, if you have your shock set up correctly, you are in a "zone" that is quite forgiving when it comes to rider input. So with every bump, the suspension works to get you over the bump through it's stroke. It helps you keep your momentum, and, add the momentum retaining qualities of the big wheels, well... you get the picture.

When the trail pointed down, the bike was confident. Despite having a top tube that was too short for my size, I was able to keep it in line. The steep head angle of 74 degrees made the bike very responsive. I only got into a pickle once, and it was here that the short top tube may have been a saver. During this point, I noticed that the frame was stiff enough laterally to recover form my little incident, which basically had me hurtling down a steep section on my rear wheel between 2 tight trees over some off camber roots, and having the trail turn hard right before the front wheel landed. I was going way too fast. A short wheelbase and agile handling was a lifesaver.

Which leads me to some negative comments.
Brakes? What brakes? The XTR stoppers barely even slowed me down. If I'd have had the option, I would have pulled the Avid Juicys off my RIP for this ride as well as the wheels.
Dual Control is Shimano's off road version of their road levers. What is good for the goose, isn't necessarily good for the gander. On road bikes, it's great. Most roads are smooth, unlike off road trails. What you wind up with, is a terribly cumbersome lever assembly, that controls the shifting and braking with one lever. Not so good when the ground is rushing up at you repeatedly. I shifted my gears while I was braking and bouncing down the trail. Seeing as how the brakes weren't even working, not being in any sort of gear was just downright annoying.
Lots of folks like this set up, so I may offend some. I think it's junk.
Don't even get me started on Rapid Rise...

The bottom bracket is 12.75", even lower than the RIP! Needless to say, I was prepared for pedal strikes.

The rear triangle seemed wide. I kept hitting my heels on the swingarm, but this was early in the ride, and I noticed it less throughout the ride. Maybe I can chalk this up to the fit not being right.

Being a demo bike, this thing has been ridden hard and put away wet often. I could only find a few gears that would not grind or skip. When switching the rear wheel, I had to fix the spacing of the rear brake caliper, and I also noticed that the drop outs were 140mm apart. hmmm.
I would imagine, that as a demo bike, it probably isn't a first quality frame. A headset with an extra 5mm above the crown race is necessary for the crown of the fork to clear the down tube. Hopefully, an oversight that won't plague production frames.

Enough with the negatives!

Descending was as comfortable as could be, despite the smallish frame. I really thought the steep head angle would be twitchy, but it really isn't.

On level singletrack, the quick steering, snappy suspension and few gears that worked allowed me to pull way ahead of my riding partner. This is clearly a race weapon. I was not able to get a gear where I could go 90%, but I can only imagine what it would be like.

I'm sold.


I'd have to say, that overall, I'm impressed. There are lots of odd things about this bike that might make some folks nervous, but the reality is, it delivers all it promises. And then some. Put some good components on it, fix the crown clearance issue and you have a serious machine, capable of dishing it out on race day, or just flowing through the woods with your friends.

Sadness

My poor RIP is oozing black oily gunko form the rear shock. I fear last weekend's shenanigans may have been too much for the Fox RP23.

Well, pedalling down steep powerlines filled with loose axe heads isn't easy on anything.
Especially when the bike you are on begs to be ridden faster...

Sadly, I will have to be off the RIP for a while, which will actually force me to ride the Intense, despite the fact that it is a smidge too small for me. I can deal. Who knows, I may actually even like it. It's not like I'm being forced to eat broccoli or anything.

Here is a RIP9 montage for your viewing pleasure.



I miss it already.

The Three "B"s

Well, there are more than 3, but we'll keep it PG.
Bikes. Beer. Burritos.
I love burritos. It is one of the best foods around. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
When we lived in Escondido, our pre-ride ritual was a bean, cheese and potato burrito from Jilberto's on Valley Parkway, with which we would put a dab of their amazing red salsa on before every bite. About an hour and a half after ingesting these 2lb bombs, we would be rolling up to the Nobel Canyon trail head, the effects of such a shock to the system wearing off, now fueling the oncoming 26 mile ride.
And after the ride, beer of course!


Tonight's dinner is what I call Heaven'n'Hell burritos. The "hell" is the chipotle ridden iron pan refried beans, the "heaven" is the cooling effect of the extra sharp cheddar cheese. These are of the vegetarian variety, but the beauty of the burrito, is that you can pretty much put whatever in them. Steak, chicken, fish, beans, even pretend soy "meat", it's all good.
Good and good for you.

A Weekend Away

I got to leave the great state of Vermont for the first time in almost a year this weekend. Yes I went to Vegas, but that was a work related trip, and I wasn't there long enough to do anything fun.
No, this time, we went down to PA to visit the in-laws. We brought our bikes, and although the weather was threatening to be wet, it held out long enough for a great ride on Saturday. We went to Jim Thorpe Park, an old mining town on the Lehigh River. The place is littered with old mining roads, and over the years a trail network was formed. While it is mostly fire road and non technical single track, there are a few rock gardens, and some difficult rocky descents. Either way you slice it, it is fun, and we went for a 17 mile ride in near perfect riding conditions. It was 70 and hazy, reminiscent of a SoCal winter's day.

PA is a strange place, I wonder what sort of meat they were raffling off...
...and what the heck is a block shoot? Pennsylvania Dutch for a drive by?





I would also like to give a belated thanks and "prost!" to Ryan at Niner bikes.
We both have a love of malted beverages, and in one of my more recent frame shipments, I found a little present. I became hooked on Stone Brewing Company's beer when I lived out west. Unfortunately, this stellar brew has yet to make it to these parts. It's called Ruination, because it will wreck your taste for anything else. It's that good.
Cheers!

A Competition!!!!

So...
Whoever can tell me how many bike's I've had this past summer will win a shiny new 29er tire!

What tire will it be?

You'll have to reply to my shop email address and WIN to find out.

Sorry, family members, and the "inner circle" are not allowed to win, but it would be really interesting to find out how many bikes you think I have had the pleasure of piloting this year.

I will accept entries until November 16th 2006. The winner will be chosen at random, and announced the day before Thanksgiving (Nov 22nd).
You have 1 week!

Want more details?
It's a FREE TIRE! What do you have to loose????

Why Do You Love Bikes?

It's not just a mode of transportation for some.
Bikes have an intangible effect on people. Why do we spend so much time and money on such a device? My RIP easily costs as much as a really big flatscreen TV, yet I get way more enjoyment out of it than I would a TV (unless it's baseball season).
There have been many times in my life, that the contents of the bike rack have far outpriced what was carrying them. I once had an $7000 bike on a $3000 car. Is it priorities? What is it?
I may catch flack for even making such a statement, as there are many that would say "what the hell is your bike doing on the roof of your car?".
The sheer horror of it all, is if I had that amount of disposable loot, I would probably buy another plasma TV's worth of a bike, over and over again. I mean, we have to face reality at some point, I'm sure I would wind up with the TV after a while, but not before I filled my garage with every type of bike I could get my hands on.
My Dad got a bike this summer, and is actually riding it! He's been good about it too.

I guess to me, bikes are a huge part of my lifestyle. I have the bike equivalent of a new BMW in my garage, at least twice a year. My friends and I are more apt to gather for a ride than a Superbowl party. And even though we BBQ all summer long, they normally follow a killer ride. In our circle of friends, we are, couple by couple, being stricken with children. And yet we still find time to ride. My little boy loves to go for a ride in the trailer, and can even ride a 2 wheeler all by himself. I hope that he can keep bike riding as a constant in his life.
It always made a huge difference in mine.
How does it affect you?

With any luck...

...this will work. I've had some issues getting this thing to work, and with any luck you should see the results below.



This was all filmed with my wee little Canon Power Shot SD700IS on Saturday afternoon.
It was about 38 degrees, snowing, and quite possibly the best riding all year.

I'm now one of those nerds that can make movies on his computer.

All Hail the Spider

Well, maybe not quite yet...


I have yet to get a turn with it, but the review from the first test rider was glowing.
There wasn't a lot of time as the bike changed hands, in the not very late yet pitch black and cold as hell and snowy evening. The weekend is not supposed to be very warm either.
Tomorrow the bike gets another test rider, sadly not me.
But I did get a chance to get a couple of pictures.

So, this is what I know about it. It came as a full XTR equipped ride, with a Bontrager Race X Lite Disc wheelset, set up tubeless with Bonti Jones XR tires. It actually weighs in at 27.25lbs without pedals for a size medium with a Reba fork.

The frame's construction and finish is top notch, however the was one oversight. A common problem with 29er frames, is down tube clearance. Probably the most common fork is the Reba, which has a rather tall adjustment knob on the right side. Many frames have contact issues with this knob, and an some frames, the problem is not limited to the Reba.
There are headsets available that will add 5 or so mm under the lower cup that will help correct this.

Intense and Santa Cruz got together and bought the old Outland VPP design a few years back. I think that Outland was ahead of their time, and that material and executional science was not there to back them up when they could have been the shining stars of full suspension-ness.
Back in the old days, the manufacturing capabilities weren't what they are now, and the design once dismissed as a mechanical liability is one of the best selling designs ever.

I'll tell you more about how it actually rides when I get a turn...

The Spider gets a seriously steep head tube angle of 74 degrees. This is to quicken the steering, as big spinning wheels "are harder to turn" than their little 26" brothers. This is actually true. The gyroscopic effect of a big wheel is much greater than that of a smaller one. Steeper head tube angles will make a bike handle or steer more quickly. I think 74 degrees is a stretch, and maybe a bit overkill. As I said, I haven't actually ridden the bike yet, so I can't really comment on it from experience.

There appears to be plenty of tire clearance. There is room between the chain and tire when the front derailleur is in the small ring The Bontrager Jones XR is fairly high volume, and there looks to be enough room in the frame for a knobbier tire to fit. When I get my crack at it, I'll be using my wheels, so we'll see if the Rampage fits back there.

I hope to get a chance to ride it on Monday, at which point I'll be able to tell you more about it.
Stay tuned...

Along Came The Spider

Better late than never, as some would say. We still have a few weeks of good trail riding ahead, which we will be taking full advantage of. The Intense Spider is going to have a very thorough testing session ahead of it, by multiple riders. Maybe even me. When lined up next to the RIP, the overall bar to saddle reach is pretty close, meaning I could be a possible test pilot on this size medium bike.

I will have some better shots tomorrow, but the key numbers are known. Weight, 27.25 lbs, BB height 12.5". Yes, lower than that of the RIP. It will be interesting to see how it fairs up over the next few days.

We had done some extensive trail work a few weekends ago, which has really helped in increasing our season. We raked most of the trail network, and did some much needed drainage and rock work to a couple of trails that we ride often, and it has really made the difference. We had a long spell of torrential rain, and high winds, but the last few days have been pretty nice, and the trails have been bone dry, with the exception of a couple of the more notorious mud holes. I took care of some large dead fall on Monday, so the riding is prime for bike testing.


We've also gotten the fork in for the "Flyer". It's a Bontrager Switchblade. Besides being ridiculously light and strong, it is also very nice to look at. At 950g, it will be an asset to keeping the weight near the target. Very exciting indeed.