Steve Smith. Canadian. 21 years old. Silver medalist in the World Cup. So many top 10 finishes that i can't fit them all in. So yeah... you get the picture. He's a very good athlete, featured in many movies - like say Follow Me - and for 2011 he rides for Devinci Global Racing.
He talks about the new team and his new bike, and he seems stoked about it. Hear him out!
Ever wondered why the answer to the question "what are the best tires on the market" is "Schwalbe, no doubt" ? This german company delivers quality with it's products, which are aimed at cyclists, scooter riders, and wheelchair users. I am a user of their Nobby Nic model and i have to say .... yes, they can be a bit expensive .... however they deliver astounding performance and reliability.
Lets dig deeper and see how they make these grippy things.
"Handbuilt with pride since 1988" is written all over the Orange bikes lineup. This UK manufacturer made, and still makes, those legendary bikes that can be found in wealthy people's collections or in teenager's dreams.
So after we saw how the germans from Derby and Cube did it, let's see how the brits shape up their metal and make those wheels turn.
This fork first saw light 15 years ago, and since then, it has won no less then 10 world championships. Because of that, every guy who rides a downhill bike dreams of owning one. This very successful double crown build paired with the latest materials and latest damping technologies make it one of the lightest 200mm travel forks out there.
66 World Cup stage wins in it's time mean it needs constant research and development to stay on top of the competition. Jeremiah Boobar, who is the product manager for long travel suspension at Rock Shox, gives a sneak peek into the 2011 lineup for Boxxer forks.
It's been 10 years since the german company Rohloff introduced the Speedhub. Now it's their best selling item. They say they built this hub for both proffesionals and simple enthusiasts, but the built quality is amazing for either category. With 14 internal speeds to choose from, you can ride in any terrain.
Check out the attention to detail this product gets and see the complicated design that lays inside the aluminum body.
I admit i am a sucker for Cube bikes. They have that german, stiff feel about the build quality, however they use beautiful colour combinations and sleek design, that makes you gaze at their products for hours.
Lets dive (figuratively) into the their birthplace and see what's what.
I was riding my bike the other day and noticed that my Concept rear hub sounds a bit louder than everyone else's. I quite like it because it acts as a bike bell when there are stupid pedestrians on the bike lane. All i need is to approach slowly and the loud clicking of the hub tells them there is a cyclist behind them so they yield.
However some manufacturers took this hub noise thing and turned it into a signature for their products. Enter Chris King Precision Components, who makes their hubs sound like a fire engine, and Industry Nine Componentry, who makes your rear wheel sound as if it's got a few million mosquitoes packed in it.
I would love to see pedestrains claiming they didn't hear you comming when you have these.
I promise you this annoying sound will make you loose your hearing for a second.
After we've seen what Specialized has in stock for us, now Fox Racing equipped Gee Atherton's DH bike with a prototype inverted fork. Rumor has it that there are around a dozen of these in the testing stage around the world, each with a unique combination of suspension configuration, until the people from Fox make up their mind about the best choice.
See what Pinkbike has to say about it in their article.
Sam Hill, Troy Brosnan and Brendan Fairclough, the riders from Monster Energy Specialized Team, are recognised as contenders to the podium at every competition they attend. To stay on top, they need the latest and greatest in bike tech available.
Read about Sam, the five-time World Champion and two-time World Cup Series Championhere.
Read about Brendan, the most charismatic rider from the team here.
Read about Troy, the 17 year-old junior downhill champion here.
This week, a set of spy shots from their booth reveals they are testing some prototypes from Specialized, namely platform pedals and carbon helmets.
Images via pinkbike.com and monsterenergy-specialized.com
When you pose the question "Who is the biggest bicycle builder in Europe?" the numbers say that Germany has a company that sells more then any other in the old continent.
It's called Derby Cycles and produces bikes under the brands Rixe, Raleigh, Kalkhoff, Univega and Focus. Their products range from e-bikes to high performance racing machines used in the UCI competitions.
In the following video we'll take a look at their state of the art factory and testing procedures. You could say this is a "How it's made" episode for the cycling enthusiast.
White Brothers, a division of Mountain Racing Products, unveiled the redesigned Loop fork, which has some interesting facts about it. First of all, it only weighs 4.1 lbs (1.86 kg) it features a QTapeR15 axle, wich is tool-free, Aura damper with magnetic valve technology, wich keeps the valves closed, but opens them when you hit a bump on the trail preventing you from damaging the product, magensium lowers and many settings for the adjustable rebound, compression and threshold. It comes in white and black, so it shouldn't be a problem matching with your frame.
