Driven Ep 05: Time

Time .... our enemy or our ally in life? Do you use it to the fullest to fulfill your dreams? Or do you wait for time to pass and hope for something good to happen to you?

Watch the video on how athletes riding on Trek see and understand this abstract concept, and see if you have the same ideas in life.

The Atherton Project season 3 episode 9

A win, some push-ups and a bit of frustration. Episode 9 of "The Atherton project" series is up!

The Atherton Project season 3 episode 8

The Atherton family is back! This week we have appearences form Mick Extance and Max Commencal, we get dirty in some mud and we race in the world cup (as you do).

Enjoy

Yeti/Fox team ep 2

More footage from deep into the season. The line-up is the same as in episode 1, the music changed to something more punk-rock to emphasise on the fast pace and the stress on the riders and the equipment.

New reality show for Yeti/Fox team

A lot of teams out there want to give a look behind the scenes, to show people a fraction of the work put into the team and equipment preparation before an event. Aaron Gwin's former team, Yeti Cycles partenered with Fox Racing Shox and the new Yeti/Fox was born. They feature riders like Jared Graves, Shaun O'Connor, Elliot Jackson, Richie Rude, Tyler Immer and Brandon Yrttiaho.

The music score is very nice and is provided by Glitch Mob, Starve The Ego Feed The Soul and Fortune Days. Makes watching the video captivating, so click that play button.

How to cool off in the summer

Temperatures of 35+ degrees Celsius keep you from riding your bike without getting sunburned and soaked in sweat?  Do you have a body of water nearby? You do? Well then.... you need some people, shovels, bikes, floating stuff to attach to your bike, lots of friends nearby and a positive attitude towards fun.

The result should be similar to this clip.

Aaron Gwin and Trek Session

8 months of riding downhill was all it took for Aaron Holmes Gwin to participate in the World Cup. This sensation dubbed "the saviour of US downhill scene" comes from a motocross racing background, which he abandoned due to constant injuries, and he also rode BMX's for many years.

After a series of wins that took the downhill world by surprise, beating athletes like Gee Atherton, Sam Hill and Steve Peat, he unveilled one of the secrets of his success: the all-new 2012 Trek Session 9.9 carbon  

The Atherton Project season 3 episode 4

This week ... on "The Atherton Project": world cup races and encouraging results, Polish Pete ( this guy just makes me laugh when i look at his ears lmfao), a ferry, looong roadtrip plus a surprise. 

Hint: it involves vomit bags.

Enjoy!

Best cycling GPS solution ?

So you are an adventurous type. You like to roam the roads or the forest trail and you are eager to see what's on the other side of the mountain, you live for the unknown. Or you want to see how you can improve your cadence, and you're curious how many calories you've burned today. You can see and do all of those with the help form the blokes from "the kings of GPS recievers", Garmin.

They have in their arsenal of gizmo's the Garmin Edge 500 GPS-based cycling computer. This baby measures  speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent, and as if this wasn't enough - check it out - you can record your laps, put them on your laptop, replay them! Add an ANT+™ compatible heart rate monitor, speed/cadence sensor or compatible power meter and you can see even more data.

All of this for  £199.99, or £249,99 if you want the heart and cadence sensor. Check out how Competitive Cyclist evaluates this product below.

Steve Smith 2011 bike check

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!  

The one and only "Beer Bike"

Question: How can 17 people drink beer, greet people, be outdoors and see the city of Amsterdam at the same time? 

The answer: They are riding on the Beer Bike.

This clever contraption attracts dozens of tourists and locals alike. The price to ride is very cheap ... about 475 euros. No really it is cheap because it seats 8-18 people, including the driver which is also a guide, and around 30 liters of beer (that's around 8 gallons).

Check out the mixed reaction from people seeing it.

Schwalbe tires - the best ?

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.

Know your roots ep 02

New episode from Mongoose's "Know your roots" series, wich is pretty dusty. Literally. The boys are shredding in the desert sand, which gets into every single layer of clothing. Also they ride a roller coaster and film it with their GoPro gear. 

So a lot of heat and a lot of fun.

Orange bikes factory

"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.

Know your roots

Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Mongoose has been producing bicycle components and complete bikes since 1974. Since 2001 they expanded their range of products to skateboards and electric scooters. One of their star riders in Chris Akrigg, who is now recovering form a nasty injury.

Now they employed Steve Romaniuk and Amir Kabbani for a 10 day trip across the U.S. They named it "Know your roots". See how it all started in the first episode in the series.

The Atherton Project season 3 episode 3

Another episode is up this week and in this one we see the Atherton's meet up with Danny Macaskill for some trials demo's and other footage from Fort William.

Enjoy!

Driven ep04: Yellow

In 1919, the people who organised the Tour de France decided that the overall winner will wear the "maillot jaune", the yellow jersey. Since then, every cycling team out there has been striving to get a teammate to wear yellow, no matter the costs. Months of development, testing, training, planning will show who is the best of the best, and everybody, from cyclists to company CEO's, are ready to give 100% of their potential to show the world they deserve that win.

A movie about family, hard work and determination.

Driven ep03: Jani Brajkovic

After we've seen Team Leopard-Trek's athletes, Fabian Cancellara and the Schelck brothers, time to focus on a new up and coming star from team RadioShack. The 27 year old Slovenian cyclist already won the Under 23 Time Trial championship before turning professional, and now he's promising great achievements. 

Let's see and hear Janez "Jani" Brajkovic talk about his career so far. A trully insipiring story.

Driven ep02: Fabian Cancellara

His nickname is "Spartacus", he's 30 and he was born in Wohlen, Switzerland. In his career he won the World Time Trial Championship, the Olympics, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix (twice) and many stages form the Tour de France. Get the picture? Fabian Cancellara is one of the most important people in cycling right now and he's going to share some of his thoughts about his experience with racing so far.

Driven ep01: Trek

So you think that if i posted alot about downhill and XC and mostly things involving mountain bikes, i forgot about road cycling? Of course not. All you roadies out there are probably familiar with Team Leopard Trek. For the rest who aren't, this is a pro cycling team licensed in Luxembourg, wich became active in the begining of 2011. Out of the stars we can name Andy Schelck, Frank Schleck and Fabian Cancellara.

They are developing a show called "Driven" in which they give an insight to the races, the preparations and the athletes. In this first episode we meet the team representing the bike sponsor and see how they help the athletes perform, by providing world-class equipment and expertise.

Maui vacation fun

After i've shown you Mauritius, it's time to step into another dream island, Maui. Armed with 2011 Trek bikes, the crew from Anthill films and top athletes Shandro, McCaul, Semenuk and Wildhaber revisit the site of the 2004 shoot for "The Collective".

Some digging, some diving and some riding. Fun

The Atherton Project season 3 episode 2

The second episode of the third series is here! In this one we get like a "MTV Cribs" look around the Atherton's new compound, see Dan's return and some fireworks. 

See the sereies last episode here.

Hottest cyclist girls calendar

Oh man ....

Okay so ... take the hottest girls in the cycling world, add talented photographers and ...... i'm not gonna lie to you it's absolutely great *big pervy grin*. You are about to see the very best women who race their bikes for a living show what they hide under the cycling shorts and t-shirts.

Drool a bit over the sight of: Willow Koerber, Heather Irmiger, Liz Hatch from the U.S.A, Veronica Andreasson from Sweden, Julie Krasniak from France, Fabienne Heinzmann from Switzerland, Mona Eiberweiser and Hanka Kupfernagel from Germany.

This .... is pure art.

Build your own dirt jumps

Steve Peat, or "Peaty" for friends, created a community project to celebrate his birthday week which is from 13th and 17th of June. He wants you to build a jump in your neighbourhood, local forest, dirt track or wherever your heart desires for the single purpose of having fun. 

For this you need to take and upload a picture before you start digging and one after the jump is complete. Then e-mail those two pictures labeled "Before" and "After" to built@buildajump.com along with your name and the location of the jump. 

Hurry up! The registration ends 17th of June. Get digging people! And remember: it's all about building for community and for friends.

images via buildajump.com


Log on to buildajump.com

Danny Macaskill in Cape Town

The 25 year old scottish rider is an internet sensation thanks to his tricks on his trials bike. He gave up his job as a mechanic to ride his bike full time, after a video published on youtube titled "April 2009" made him noticed around the world. Since then, things really took off for him as he's been filming for a Volkswagen commercial, he's been doing stunts with a Hollywood production team and he's even been nominated at the Laureus Sports Awards for his preformance.

See the man who has "skill" in his name perform in the city of Cape Town.

2012 Olympics mountain bike course

I'll be honest with you. I'm only posting this so you can say alongside me "this is sh*t". This is what an XCO course looks like now ? No mountains, just perfectly carved paths and rocks set at perfectly 90 degrees on the road ? What the hell UK? You've got beautiful mountains everywhere, build a proper course or better off ... don't host the games if you don't know what the f*ck you're doing.

8 minutes of stupid sh*t right here. Watch it. Get mad at it. Send hate mail to London.     Now go.

Now this is what an XCO course should look like.

Rock Shox Boxxer 2011

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.

Bamboo bicycle

When people say "my bike's frame is made out of exotic materials" you immediatly think of carbon fiber. It's so common now that people take it for granted. It is very expensive though and not many people can afford it.

We can all look up to a man who wants to change bike building for third world countries. His name is Craig  Calfee and he had a brilliant idea. Teach people how to build bike frames from bamboo, so that they can have a mode of transportation and a job at the same time. The initiative is taking off and each bike built by people from poor african families is a piece of art. By buying one of these bikes, you help people support themselves.

The images of one of their models speak about the attention to detail given to the product. Each of these frames are hand built from pieces of bamboo tied together with rope, strengthened by resin and then coats of clear laquer are applied for the finishing effect. 

This particular model could've been seen at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Austin, Texas this year.

More on bamboo bicycles here, and more shots with this model can be seen here.

The Atherton Project season 3 episode 1

This is not the first time i've showed you this brit. The 26 year-old national, european and many times world champion downhill and 4x rider has a reality show on the internet, documenting the daily lives of him, his brother Dan and his sister Rachel. The Atherton Project, as it's called, is in it's third season already, kicking off after some fun times but sadly some injuries also.

First episode in this new series shows the trio escaping the cold and harsh Britain winter for other places in the world where sun is shining every day ..... and the rest i'll let you watch for yourself.

By the way i never thought scooters could be so fun. Hmmm .....

Night rider

To the untrained eye, this might look like a suicidal attempt to recreate a shitty horror movie where teens are slayed in the woods while they are having fun. To the trained eye, this is a hell of a lot of fun. Why would you ride at night you ask? Very simple. The summer the days are scortching hot and the only time you can ride without melting is at night. Plus it's alot more exciting to do things in a different way right? 

Of course there are some things that you need to remember in order to make this a pleasurable experience instead of a painfull date with metal rods in your bones. 

• First of all, you must know the trail well. Ride it in the day many times untill you've learned every groove, every root and every turn.
• Second, make sure you have proper protection equipment (helmet, elbow and knee pads, spine guard and so on)
• And third, invest in a powerfull and reliable lighting system.

Check out how it should look like.

Mountain biking at night with Ben Stiller

If you say Ben Stiller, you think about a guy who dodges balls and looks at a girl called Mary or you'll find him fighting in the jungle alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Jack Black. However after a while these things become boring and you're looking forward to your next adventure.

So he got on his girl bike and tried to ride alongside triathletes at night. Check out how that turned out in this Jay Leno interview.

"Look ... whatever happens ..... don't fight the mountain" hahaha.

Mud, sweat and tears

Whistler Mountain Bike Park ... the pinnacle of a mountain bike rider. Most of the shots in mtb videos or in magazines are taken here. This is literraly a Mecca in the world of oversized handlebars, knobby tires and 6"-7" travel forks. The mountain trails are full in the summer. But what about in the autumn ?

Each year in september, RedBull organizes a mass start downhill race to the bottom of the mountain, where 250 men and women battle the snow and mud. It's called "RedBull 5000", been running for only 2 years, so it's pretty new. The images tell the tale of massive mud, massive crashes and massive fun.

New World Disorder Greatest Hits

If something is good, it deserves a re-run. Or at least that's the excuse I give when i watch stuff over and over again. I've told you about Freeride Entertainment before. They decided basically we needed a retrospective from 10 years back to present day. Thus ... NWD Greatest Hits was born.

Watch the trailer and see kids from the begining of the freeride scene turn into world class athletes.

Slow motion mountain bike sweetness

The people who invented slow motion cameras for the filmmakers deserve a beer from every person in this world who enjoys seeing slo-mo eyecandy. There's nothing like seeing a second played back in a minute, allowing you to see everything that your eyes don't. In this case ... 7.9 seconds segments.

Making off Rohloff Speedhub 500/14

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.

"No fuss" bike rack

So you want to go out this weekend with friends or family and you want to bring your bike along. However you don't like the fuss about putting cross bars on your car and then a bike rack on top of those cross bars. Your excuse ranges from "i might damage the paint" to "i'm too lazy for that".

I hear you and I feel your pain. The good people at SeaSucker (yeah that's what they are called don't laugh) came up with a bike rack that doesn't imply nuts, bolts or anything that will make you use your toolbox. It attaches to the roof or any other side of your car using suction cups, strong enough to hold your bike in place even at highway speeds.

SeaSucker Bomber bike rack

Check out the product video and the demo. You'll be a "sucker" for them in no time.

SeaSucker website

Best looking urban bike

If you are looking for a very stylish yet sporty-looking bike, the germans have what you are looking for. They go by the name "Urban 8" and "Urban 26" and they are the coolest things on two wheels that you can ride in the city  without wearing a helmet.

The Urban 8 looks like a fixie, but don't be fooled. It's got a Shimano Alfine hub with 8 internal gears, so even if it doesn't have a cassete, it will still be able to take you up and down a hill. It also has a state of the art, silent belt drive system.

It's smaller brother is called Urban 26 and as the name implies it sits on 26" wheels. Unlike the Urban 8 it's got a Shimano Deore drivetrain with 27 speeds, and has beefier tires, the choice being the 50-559 Schwalbe Kojak's.

The price you have to pay for these sleek tarmac riders is $1.500 and $1.200. More about the specs you can  find on the Focus bikes website.

New speed world record

Nine years after frenchman Eric Barone crashed his bike on a volcano in Nicaragua trying to set a speed record, a new contender took the challenge. He is 36 year-old austrain rider named Markus Stöckl, and he managed to finish the job. 

The attempt took place on the Cerro Negro volcano and Markus rode a standard downhill bike. He wore an aerodynamic full face helmet and a spandex suit. The final speed was 102 mph (164.95 km/h), wich makes it an unofficial record. Watch the video and see for yourself.

Sam Hill's pink bike

If you look at these pictures for the first time, you will shout out load "what the **** Sam ?". That was my reaction as well when i saw this custom Specialized demo painted in pink. However it is for a good cause.

Specialized are going to auction this bike this week to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Even the team's gear is in pink, so they are making everything possible to make this campaign noticed.

Image via pinkbike.com

Read about it here.

Cube factory

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.

Cube bikes website

Cube two15

The german premiun bike manufacturer Cube announced this month that they will begin production of their first ever downhill bike. The model bears the name "two15", and it's been in development since 2008, with the help of factory rider André Wagenknecht. 

It's got a 215mm travel in the rear, being developed for the use with a Fox DHX-RC4, a triple linkage design and comes with Shimano drivetrain.

For more about it check out the technical sheet with Cube two15's full specs.

Hub sound

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.

Fox prototype 2011 spy shots

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.

Specialized prototypes 2011 spy shots

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 Champion here.

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

Read about it in this Pinkbike article.

Focus FSL

Cyclocross World Champion Mike Kluge founded Focus Bikes in 1992. Since then, the company grew so much that now they sponsor top teams in competition.

In 2011, they launched a new bike, that will be placed between Thunder and Project in the company's offer. It's name ..... FSL. It's short from First Super Light. 

It will be available in four models, ranging from the top-end 1.0 ($9,700) with a SRAM XX group, a RockShox SID XX fork, and DT Swiss carbon wheels, to the more affordable 4.0 ($4,400) with a Shimano Deore XT package, a Fox 32 RL fork, and alloy DT Swiss hoop.

It's got a unique positioning of the rear shock, being semi-integrated in the top tube. 

Image via mtbr.com


See it in action in the following video.

More about the FSL on the Focus website

Team Katusha before the stage

Focus bikes has on the sponsoring roster for 2011 Team Jelly Belly and Team Katusha. The latter was founded for the start of the 2009 season, out of the former Tinkoff Credit Systems squad, and had a large budget, in excess of 15 million euros. This allowed them to sign important athletes, such as Robbie McEwen, Vladimir Karpets, Filippo Pozzato and Gert Steegmans.

See the pre-race preparations and some race footage of the team in action. I wish them good luck in all of the competitions they will attend.

Team Katusha website

Cycling in paradise

Who says Schwalbe Racing Ralph's don't look good on a Focus Mares AX1? But forget about the choice of tires and focus on the lush landscapes of Mauritius. 

This small volcaninc island was part of the United Kingdom until 1968, wich explains why people drive on the left side of the road. It's a small paradise in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and someone went there to ride in it.

Amazing landscapes and soothing music.

Gee Atherton vs James May

Okay this one is a bit older, but it shows 20 year-old (at the time) Gee shredding his tires on cobblestone paved streets and stairs in Lisbon, and beating Top Gear's James May, who was driving a silly Renault Clio. 

The race took place on Alfama Hill, wich is the scene of an urban downhill mountain bike race year after year. 

The soundtrack with Overseer's track Supermoves makes you wish James May's car had 9 gears too. Watch the video and you'll know what i mean.

Blacktrail electric bike

Everyone is aware that the e-bike era is upon us. E-bikes incorporate an electric motor, wich assists the rider at pedaling, or can drive the bike without any input from the legs. 

But what if you are a performance addict and you want the best of the best before anyone else? A german company, PG-Bikes, came up with a product that can satisfy you.

It's called the Blacktrail BT-01. With a carbon fiber, aerospace aluminum, titanium and magnesium construction, a 1.2 kilowatts motor that can take this thing to speeds up to 65 mph (105 kph) and travel 120 miles (200 km) on a single charge, it is the meanest bike that ever existed.

You like it right? Even Jay Leno has one. You want one? You must be nuts rich. This baby will set you back 80,000 US dollars. However, only 667 will be built. So before you make up your mind (and your immense wallet) take a look at how Bob Harrold describes this technical marvel.

PG bikes website

Where the Trail Ends

If you are not familliar with Freeride Entertainment, they are the makers of the long-spanning series New World Disorder (NWD). The boys want to try something new, so they shifted their attention from the american continent to Asia. They are filming for a new motion picture in the Gobi Desert, in northern China. 

It will be called "Where the Trail Ends", it's sponsored by RedBull, and the trailer shows Darren Berrecloth, Kurt Sorge, and James Doerfling having some fun on sand.

Freeride entertainment website

Largest bike manufacturer

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.

Derby Cycle website

Downhill in New Zealand

RedBull introduced to the world a 19 year-old boy from New Zealand, named Brook Macdonald. He is the 2009 UCI Downhill Junior champ. Seeing that RedBull is interested only in the most talented athletes in the world, Brook promises alot, and he's got the age advantage.

He wants to show the world how beautiful his country is, and in this episode he shares with us some of the trails around Queenstown. Also he's the first person i've seen to use a helicopter to transport his bike uphill.

Badassery!

Mountain bike vs 4x4

Over the past 5 months, a man named Rob Jarman, who is riding a bike made by VooDoo cycles, took on the unforgivable terrain of the desert, went downhill with a runner, challenged elite soldiers, and rode in the city.

This month, Johnny Cheetham, also a VooDoo rider, is in the USA's Moab desert, located in Utah, and he is taking on a rock crawler.

What's a rock crawler you ask? Think about a vehicle that can go offroading on big rocks, mountains, boulders and rock piles. It's a heavily modified 4x4 jeep, truck or buggy.

See how Johnny got on with the US desert by looking at this article.

Mountain bike vs Royal Marines

How would a guy on a mountain bike take on the british elite navy forces? Well ... by doing what they are doing ... but while riding a bike. Rob Jarman's adventure could be read in the issue no. 263 of MBUK magazine, or by reading this bikeradar.com article. See Rob's other adventures here, here and also here.

Mountain bike vs fell runner

After Morocco and riding a fixie, VooDoo rider Rob Jarman took on Jonny Cheetham, who is an expert fell runner. Fell running is a sport in wich competitors have to run and race on off road terrain. They also must posses mountain navigation skills and carry adequate survival equipment as prescribed by the organizer.

See how Rob got on by reading bikeradar's article or by reading MBUK's no. 264 issue.

Mountain bike vs commuter urban assault

After he tackled the rough terrain in Marrakech, Rob Jarman came to England, to face Matt Carr -an enduro specialist- on a flat bar commuter bike. Read all about the outcome in issue 262 of MBUK magazine.

BikeRadar article

Mountain Bike vs Marrakech

Mountain Biking U.K. magazine issued the "VooDoo challenge", in which each month, rider Rob Jarman will put his VooDoo bike against inhospitable places, or tough to beat people. In his first journey, Rob rode in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. You can read the full details in issue 261 of MBUK.

Specialized recalls Epic and Era

Specialized and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commision announced a recall of around 1,350 bikes that were manufactured in Taiwan, because they are posing a fall hazzard to the rider. The models in question are Epic and Era, both 26" models manufactured in 2010.

Customers are advised to stop using the products immediately and to contact Specialized dealerships.

For more information and the complete list of models see the CPSC note.

First ever BMX triple backfilp

History has been written today by Jed Mildon, a 24 year old BMX rider who has shown the world that with training and guts, it can be done. In front of 2000 spectators, the best BMX riders in the world and a Guiness World Record representative, Jed flipped his bike like no other.

Watch the video and be amazed how this guy lands it perfectly. Congrats mate!

Best apps for your bike

We use our phones everyday because they are ... smart ...right? Long gone are the days when a phone meant a bulky brick with squishy keys on it that could barely get a signal. So if the phone has come such a long way, why not use it everywhere and for everything? Why not use it on the bike, and why shouldn't it replace the speedo for example? Many people asked themselves that and they came up with delicious applications for us.

If you are an iPhone user, here is a guide to the best apps you can have: iPhone apps

If you're an Android user don't worry, we'll make your life easier too: Android apps

So what are you waiting for? Most of these are free, and the rest are very cheap, go grab yourself some.

White Brothers Loop fork

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.

For more info Loop Fork

Absa Cape Epic results

Not long ago, the 2011 edition of Absa Cape Epic was concluded, with an overall win from Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander, who ride for 36one/Songo/Specialized. The other two podium positions were taken by Hannes Genze/Jochen Kaess (Multivan Merida Biking) and Karl Platt/Stefan Sahm (Bulls).

To see all of the results, go on to the official results page.

What makes Absa Epic a unique race is the fact that GPS guiding is strictly prohibited. The track changes every year, and will guide the teams of two through beautiful scenery, from vineyards to spectacular coastlines, and from majestic mountains to flat african plains.

Absa Cape Epic

New Santa Cruz arrivals for 2012

Santa Cruz Bicycles has a triple surprise in stock for riders. In 2012, they will be able to purchase not one, but three brand new models. These include Highball Carbon 29er hardtail, Tallboy Aluminum and Blur Trail Carbon.

On top of that, they will launch a new bike at Sea Otter Classic.

Images via BikeRadar

Santa Cruz leaked pictures

Bikeradar has a look and tells us some details and specs about the three beauties
Santa Cruz launch - BikeRadar

Life Cycles - the best mtb film ever ?

Imagine a movie about bikes, nature, seasons, freedom to roam the trails, add a deep narating voice. Add to that cutting edge cameras, months of filming and editing, visionary creators and the will of becoming the best bike movie yet.

In my mind, Life Cycles is the culmination of technical progress in the art of cinematography and bike building, presented by the world's best riders. You will see Graham Agassiz, Mike Hopkins, Matt Hunter, Cam McCaul, Riley Mcintosh, Evan Schwartz, Brandom Semenuk and of course Thomas Vanderham ride into history books. That's right ... this is a movie every bike enthusiast should have in their collection. Make that a Blu-Ray because the visuals are out of this world.

The minds of Derek Frankkowski, Ryan Gibb, Mitchell Scott and the voice of Graham Tracey made this stunning masterpiece possible, and for that i tell them: WE WANT MORE !

http://www.lifecyclesfilm.com/

Kona Entourage

There is a new bike comming in 2012. It's called "Entourage" and it's in the prototype stage.

The folks from Kona, helped by Graham Agassiz are testing what they say is  "an enabling mini-DH bike which absolutely rips turns, blasts jumps and rallies steeps at the whim of the rider".

All i can say is that it looks pretty slick.

More info on it you can find at http://www.konaworld.com/entourage/sp.html

Trial + Freeride + Downhill = Amazing

Chris Akrigg is a six-time National Trial Champion and Mongoose MTN team rider. In the following video he is messing around on his Mongoose Nugget in the rough terrain of Malaga, Spain. The result? Watch and see for yourself.

Oh and by the way ... pay attention to his socks.

Riding in the Alps

What springs to mind when you think about Austria? Well ... besides Arnold Schwarzenegger that is.

The Alps, of course! So what if we take a trip there .... while riding bikes? Beautiful scenery, good music.

Enjoy!

Dirty Little Secrets

Have you ever wondered how people like Hill, Vanderham or Peat are so good at riding and winning trophies ?

Well... the secret pretty much stays in alot of riding and special training. I'm sure you've seen their movies and some of you thought "i want to do that too because it looks like alot of fun".

If you are among those people, keep in mind that you should start small, and you should always wear your protective gear. And to give you some help, there is a show on the internet called "Dirty Little Secrets"

You can find the episodes form the first series here:

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4

The second series can be viewed here:

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10

Follow Me

Anthill Films are the guys formerly known as "The Collective". They are responsible for amazing movies like "Roam" and "Seasons". This time they've come up with a new freeride film, called "Follow Me", wich  takes the viewer inside the action, capturing the unique perspectives and imagery the Anthill Films crew is famous for.

It features trail shredding for  Sam Hill, Gee Atherton, Darren Berreclough, Ben Boyko, Brendan Fairclough, Geoff Gulevich, Matt Hunter, Cam McCaul, Brandon Semenuk, Steve Smith, Kurt Sorge, Thomas Vanderham.

Follow Me website

GoPro HD HERO

GoPro is a leader in the action sports camera industry. The brand and their products are used by enthusiasts, ranging from amateurs who want to capture a clip form their thrill filled vacation, to proffesional athletes. 

Their camera, the HERO as it's called, offers a unique POV perspective that will make you either start in an adrenaline filled sport, or watch amazing footage from the confort of your seat at home.

The following clip is shot on the A-Line trail Whistler Mountain Bike Park. This is the most popular mtb park in the world, and it's located in British Columbia, Canada.

Watch as these bikers have the time of their life.

Helmet Cameras @ GoPro.com