September: Good Month or Bad Month?
September is always a bit of a bittersweet month. On one hand, there's plenty of race action, including the World Championships and loads of Enduro World Series action, as well as the Interbike tradeshow to keep the tech fiends happy, but it's also when things begin to slow down. The race season is wrapping up, the Northern Hemisphere is heading into fall weather, and the excitement of Crankworx and both Eurobike and Interbike are now behind us.
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Loïc Bruni
Bruni Wins When It Counts
Bruni Wins When It Counts
I don't know about you, but at twenty-one years old I was mostly concentrating on sleeping in, making poor life decisions, and not thinking much further ahead than Saturday night. Twenty-one year old Loïc Bruni, on the other hand, is your 2015 World Champion, beating the likes of Gwin, Minnaar, and Bryceland. Sure, he hasn't yet been the quickest when it counts during a World Cup weekend, but he's been oh-so-close far too many times to not be on everyone's shortlist of guys who can win at any race.
The Frenchman's speed could be in the Bruni DNA (his dad is the current Masters World Champion, by the way), but I'm more apt to put it down to hard work and a smart upbringing, especially when you consider that Loïc is also a full-time economics student. The one thing that is certain, though, is that the youngbloods are here and they're ready to win.
The Frenchman's speed could be in the Bruni DNA (his dad is the current Masters World Champion, by the way), but I'm more apt to put it down to hard work and a smart upbringing, especially when you consider that Loïc is also a full-time economics student. The one thing that is certain, though, is that the youngbloods are here and they're ready to win.
Platform Pedal Options
Wild Prototype Platforms
Wild Prototype Platforms
That tired clipless vs. platform pedal argument might have a new, third angle, with two companies showing off their clever platform pedal prototypes at an otherwise dull Interbike tradeshow earlier this month. Rather than aiming to replace what's currently out there, both companies are hoping to strike a middle ground between being clipped-in and having the freedom of traditional platforms. Klein Designs' prototype pedal and shoe system employs a radical looking honeycomb shape that interlocks with a honeycomb tread pattern on the bottom of the rider's shoes, a design that they say makes for a much more secure connection than a standard pedal, but also provides more freedom than a clipless setup.
Wasatch Bike Components takes a different approach to providing a secure connection, using powerful magnets held in the pedal and a large steel cleat on the bottom of the shoe. Neither setup is especially light, and both companies know full well that their pedal isn't going to replace the status quo, but I'd argue that having more options is always going to be a good thing. Both designs also come from the minds of men who weren't involved in the cycling industry prior to their pedal-powered ventures, which goes to show you that it sometimes takes a fresh set of eyes and some out-of-the-box thinking to come up with something that could make a real difference.
Richie Rude
Yeti's Heir Apparent Steps Up
Yeti's Heir Apparent Steps Up
There's no denying that the Europeans (along with an Australian) pretty much had a lock on the Enduro World Series, that is until the 2015 season started to play out and it became apparent that an American young gun was ready to flex his muscle. We all knew Richie Rude is fast - let's not forget that he's tasted victory in the past - but I don't think that many people were expecting him to be a contender for the EWS overall title for at least a few more years. And that's not selling Rude short at all, but rather acknowledging how quick Clementz, Graves, Lau, and company really are. Sure, you could argue that both Clementz and Graves have had an off-year, but staying healthy is part of the battle and young Richie has done exactly that.
You don't just show up as a twenty-year-old and step on balls, but that's what Rude has done for much of this season, winning three events and going into the final round looking pretty comfortable. The final and title deciding EWS event will have gone down by the time you're reading this (and will be noted in October's Good Month or Bad Month), but Rude has performed above the high expectations regardless of if he takes the overall or not.
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Tracy Moseley's Competition
Does Anyone Have Anything For The Brit?
Does Anyone Have Anything For The Brit?
Enduro racing covers a massive amount of ground, varying terrain, and nearly every weather condition under the sun, all of which makes Tracy Moseley's domination of the 2015 Enduro World Series look pretty damn impressive. She's won on pedal-intensive tracks, she's won in the mud and slop, and she's won on terrain so toothy that it looks like it would take a serious bite out of any unprotected skin, all of which proves that she's by far the most all-around badass out there. The tally so far includes victories at six of the seven EWS stops, not including this weekend's event in Italy (which will be noted in October's Good Month or Bad Month) where all she has to do is finish in the top thirty to wrap up the title. It sorta leaves one wondering if the British racer has any weaknesses. I don't think so.
Gwin at Worlds
No Win For Gwin
No Win For Gwin
While he's had a dry spell or two, it is fair to say that Gwin has been the most dominant male downhill racer over the last handful of years. However, the American has yet to break his duck when it comes to the World Championships, this despite racking up World Cup wins in Schumacher-esque style, but he's also said that the World Cup overall title is of more importance to him than a single-race Worlds victory. That may be, but I'd bet my Whistler Bike Park pass that Gwin would love nothing more than to add a Champs victory to his tally of wins sooner rather than later, and I doubt that Gwin will suffer from the same World Champs curse that seemed to keep Peaty off the top step until that tearjerking day in Australia.
Cables and Housing
Relax, It's Not Skynet
Relax, It's Not Skynet
You'll likely always be able to choose to have a braided steel cable tug on your derailleur or seat post if you'd prefer that, at least for the next few decades, but you'd be foolish to bet against wireless technology in light of what Magura and SRAM have been cooking up. You can fret all you want about battery life, competitors hacking into your drivetrain for nefarious reasons, or high costs (that will eventually come down), but the bottom line is that when they're eventually dialed, these wireless systems are going to perform better and be more reliable than the antiquated cable and spring operated components that we're currently using.
Magura's wireless Vyron seat post looks extremely promising, and it's likely only a matter of time until we see an off-road version of SRAM's wireless RED eTap road drivetrain, but let's not forget that it's still early days for the war on wires. There was a time, not that long ago, when people doubted many of the products that we take for granted these days, and I suspect that it will be the same for wireless bike technology.
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Iceland Formula Offroad ...... www.youtube.com/watch?v=H41FQpV7oqU
Don't just watch the first 20 seconds, watch them tear up wetlands and drive their "jeeps" across water and leak who knows how many automotive fluids into the water, etc.
Gwin doesn't win, bad
Make up your damn mind! Who do you want to win?
.......what??