Three years in the making and extensively tested, Niner's carbon AM/trail 29er is warranted for five years. The CVA rear suspension is a proven performer and is also designed to guide big wheels away from the seat tube as the suspension compresses to full travel. Niner keeps the stand-over height of its long-travel designs quite low and a full range of sizes are available.
Internal cables keep the R.I.P. 9 RDO looking clean, with the head badge doubling as a handy housing stop. The upper link is carbon and the angular-contact bearings found at both upper and lower rocker links are said to be as large as those in some sealed-bearing headsets.
T.H.E. put a lot of work into its less-expensive Thirty 3 fiberglass helmet. The graphics look great. The goggle strap is guided with a grooved side plate and a molded relief around the rear. The large visor helps force feed cooling air into the upper vents.
(Clockwise)The Thirty 3 gets its name from the stylish grille in the face guard vent. Frog-eye vents under the visor are made to channel ram air into passages molded in the helmet's EPS foam liner.Snaps ensure that the removable pads can be serviced or removed easily in an emergency. A look at the molded goggle strap relief in the rear of the shell.
The Thirty 3 Carbon shares the same technology as the fiberglass model, but it weighs significantly less - and looks pretty sharp as well.
T.H.E. joins the rest of the helmet makers on the planet with a take on the classic skate lid. The Stamp and Postal Stamp helmet liners are in-molded into the shell to keep them as thin as protection will allow. The $59 Stamp is the basic model with the $79 Postal Stamp getting an adjustable head band as well as a distinctive two-tone paint scheme. The name came from Freestyler Andrew Taylor who helped design the helmets. His words were: 'Put it on before you send it.'
The cycling industry is a showcase for tattoo and piercing - which helps to make Interbike one of the best people-watching opportunities in the world of bike. Saw this woman at the Broken Bones booth. Couldn't get a word out of her.
One industries sponsors some famous racers on the DH circuit - each with a different bike brand. Can you name the owners of each rig in this picture? The GT Fury carries the number four plate.
Ben Capron is a massively talented rider with a long resume' developing products for one of the sport's most influential bike brands. Ben has thrown his future with Osmo nutrition - a new take on preparation, restoration and recovery supplements that is based upon the body's natural balance of osmosis - the function that allows fluids and solids to pass from one organ to another, or through the cell's membranes.
(From left) Antidote plaid short, 14-inch inseam, includes RPL Essential liner. Ether Premium short - lots of pockets, zipped air vents and taped seams. Stretch, water-repellent fabric with a 12-inch inseam and RPL premium liner. Torsion short with a higher back and a long, 15-inch inseam is more DH oriented with room for knee pads and mesh lining inside. Stretch panels in the back and vented sides for range of motion. Includes a RPL premium liner. Prices from $79 to $129.
Zoic's long-sleeve Woodsman flannel (left) is outfitted with disguised pockets in the rear and front and vented in back for a hydration pack. The V-neck DNA short-sleeve jersey (right) and long-sleeve Guru are Zoic's more technical styles designed for aggressive riders Prices range from $54 to $80.
Zoic's Women's lineup is more extensive than its men's. The Collins Plaid is made from a quick drying fabric with ventilation panels in the back and hidden side pockets. The front snaps closed, and the bottom seams are taped so the garment holds its shape. $60
(Clockwise) TRP's Quadiem lever nests perfectly with Shimano shifters and shares similar archetecture. The simple four-piston caliper is a two-piece arrangement which uses through-bolts to hold tension. A closeup look at the lever's reach adjuster and its tactile O-ring. The post-mount caliper is configured for larger, 180 to 203-millimeter rotors.
Chrome makes its edgy stylized bags and gear in the USA and to underscore its we can-make-it-here pride, Chrome brought part of its factory to Interbike, where its craftspeople were sewing messenger bags and silk-screening clothing for all to see. Impressive.
Cycle Dog makes collars and accessories for your best friend from recycled innertubes and other rubber cycling products, The top line collars have a seatbelt type release and a 'man's best friend' bottle opener sewn in. Cycle Dog just released their 'Retread' ball made from 50-percent ground recycled rubber, molded with a popular tread pattern. The Metal latching collar shown runs about $25 USD.
Foes designed its 650b trailbike for aggressive terrain and a high-volume riding style. The F275 sports the new Fox 34-millimeter stanchion Float CTD fork and had the optional Cane Creek Doubel Barrel air-sprung shock. The smooth leverage rate control afforded by Foes' two-stage linkage supersedes any limitations of a single-pivot swingarm suspension - imagined or real. Foes interlocks the CNC-machined nut for the 142/12-millimeter through-axle in the swingarm.
Men's technical stretch-denim Ray Jean: $129.99. Go Long long-sleeve jersey $89.99. And a selection of colors for the Bolt and Go Long jerseys.
Women's Queen Bee jersey, details of the Wheel Cute jersey: $74.99 and Freedom mid-length short: $79.99.
Craig Calfee is a name synonymous with alternative materials and construction methods. His latest project is Africa Bike - a bamboo frame joined with fibers harvested from ficus tree bark (relatives of figs). The raw fibers are mixed with epoxy resin and wrapped around the bamboo and various metal bits to join the frame, which is then sanded smooth and painted with a clear coat.
The construction methods for the burden-bearing Africa BIke, says Calfee, can be replicated in developing countries with a minimum of tools and investment. The Africa Bike used the Nuvinci 360 variable-speed hub transmission.
Nuvinci's CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission) hub was featured on the Calfee Africa bike as well as a this belt-driven 9:Zero:7 big-tire expedition bike. There are no gears inside - four steel balls are tilted on their axis to create a planetary, variable-speed reduction.
Nuvinci's 360 CVT hub is disc brake compatible, and can be driven by chains or belts. The twist shifter (upper right) can be operated when the vehicle is stopped. The shift indicator graphic is quite original - the gradient of the hill steepens as the transmission eases into a lower gear.
Yeti 02 Downhill jersey under 01 Smuggler Performance Hoody: $120. Padroni DH Short: $105. (Right) Como padded liner: $60 above Morley lightweight padded liner: $60.
Yeti female riding shorts: Lightweight Caddoa XC short: $75 (left) and Norrie DH short: $89 (right). Padded Ruby liner: $60 not shown.
The Surly crew built a crude set of log rollers and offered up a big-tire bike to challenge all comers. Some left defeated, those who triumphed made it to facebook. It looks easier than it is. It took me a few tries to get going.
Paul Components builds a stem-cap mount for the GoPro camera. The machining is beautiful as usual. Turn the camera on yourself or set it an any angle to catch another rider in action. Email for prices.
Kali Protectives figured out how to in-mold an EPS foam liner into an ABS plastic shell.Why is that important? First, because the helmet dissipates energy better when the shell is part of the foam. Second, the color is in the plastic, so the helmet can take a pounding and not look like the paint is scratched off on the first weekend of use.
My psychologist showed me these pictures and asked me to speak about any imagery that came to mind. 'Well' I said. 'That green feller is an MTB Carbonium Chamois pad for men. And that little red guy? I think he's a road racer.' Elastic Interface makes em' - they can be found in the world's best riding shorts.
Wayne Sicz co-invented the GravityDropper and eventually changed the face of trail riding. The latest version of the 'Turbo' uses a low-profile actuator that allows users to insert the post another centimeter lower. The original dropper post still uses a simple spring to extend it and a pin that indexes into a series of holes in the sliding element. Order yours with drops from two to five inches and a number of indexing positions in between for $299 USD.
Ortlieb packs are made in Germany to a standard that is out of reach of most bag makers. When Ortlieb says 'waterproof' it means you can probably put your laptop inside and go diving. With the popularity of multi-day back-country trail excursions on the rise, Ortlieb should be on your radar.
My friend Steve Delacruz has been spending most of his life lately in Italy designing Fizik's new shoe range. Steve has done enough laps on the dirt to earn the cred' and Fizik's new M5 (left) and top-drawer M1 reflect it. M1 details (clockwise): replacable dual-compound heel block; carbon fiber sole tipped by a molded nylon flex member for walking; replaceable cleat bed; carbon fiber reinforced sailcloth on the instep straps; armored toe box to fend off rock strikes. The ratcheting buckle (not pictured) has a one-click tension release.
Syntace X-Fix is a three-head Allen Key driver that snaps into a modified collar that retrofits all Syntace X-12 through axles. X-Fix can also be ordered with the Torx 25 head that fits may SRAM components. Syntace says that the X-Fix axle system is lighter in total than a conventional quick release type axle. MSRP is 18 Euros including the conversion parts (USD TBD).
Guess where these guys live? (hint: T.H.E.) Well it's bye bye to Las Vegas until the next Interbike. Can't say I'll miss the town all that much, but the bike part of it was entertaining!. Peace out - RC
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Hope they will get it lighter...
[EDIT]
It has 2450g...
Oh and something I forgot to mention about the Gravity Dropper is how insanely strong its return spring is. Seriously we have sent tire levers flying across the store with a Gravity Dropper post.
So while the GD may look 'old school', they are still ahead of the curve in terms of functionality,durability and serviceabilty in my opinion.
Oh and I have noticed that the Gravity Dropper has a high percentage chance of appealing to older riders than these newfangled hydraulic posts. Darn kids.
And the Stem-Cap has been around for a long time, there was a guy who CNC'ed out of some good material and high frequency shake was cut down almost to nothing.
And surly,i'm saving money for you !
2. ZOIC stuff is very cool...minus the flannel.
3. TRP brakes are a shimano xt 2007 look-a-like...??
4. Are lock on´s really necessary??
5. Foes....What´s "high volume riding style"...??
6. Nuvinci rockx ...but its in the wrong Forum for that here.
7. Gravity Dropper...300 bucks..? No , thanks !
8. Syntace X-Fix is a veery slick idea!!
Btw its nice to see thinner diameter lock ons.