Giro Shoe Restock and SALE!

With cyclocross season around the corner we want to show you how great a new set of Giro shoes can be for your season.  Come in and buy any pair of shoes and get a $25 gift certificate for your next purchase!

We have the Carbide, Privateer, Privateer HV, and Gauge in stock currently in just about every size.

The Giro Gauge, my personal favorite CX shoe, reviewed here.  EC70 carbon sole for $200.

The Giro Privateer, the workhorse of the line, reviewed here.  Zytel sole for $150.

And the bargain of the line, the Carbide.  With a great fit and a killer price tag, $100, hard to fault.

Lumberjack 100 Follow-up, Part 3

In this installment of my Lumberjack 100 follow-up, I'm going to cover the final bike setup I used.  Having ridden the course last year, I knew it was pretty smooth single track, but last year I didn't even manage 50 miles coming off of a cold.  I decided a hard tail was still the way to go, even though I was spending 8+ hours on the bike.

Looking back, a very efficient full-suspension bike probably would have been a better choice for me, but not by much.  The hard tail offered incredible climbing, but a full-suspension frame would have offered a bit more comfort on the last lap.  I did lose some time on the last lap from cramping legs, so I'm split on whether or not I could have made up for some of that lost time with more comfort.

Regardless, here's the bike from my 2012 Lumberjack 100 campaign:

Niner Air9 Carbon RDO frame, large, licorice.  PressFit 30 carbon bottom bracket, Rock Shox SID XX World Cup fork with 15mm Maxle.  This frame and fork combo is as light and stiff as anyone could hope for right now.

New ENVE 29er XC carbon rims came in slightly lighter than their claimed weight and much stiffer than anyone could have convinced me of.  After getting used to riding light alloy rims built with light spokes, it's amazing how stiff a set of 29er wheels can be when made from carbon.  Sapim CX-Ray spokes were used not because they are bladed, but because they offered the best platform for building and keeping the weight low.

American Classic hubs were chosen for their light weight and adaptability.  These wheels will most likely see some cyclocross duty and the front hub can easily be adapted from 15mm thru axle to a standard QR.

The tires may or may not have been the best choice, but I went with Schwalbe Furious Fred 29x2.0 tires.  They are shockingly light, hundreds of grams lighter than most other 29er tires, and they roll as fast as a CX file tread.  The down side was the low-volume casing which didn't offer the kind of float a 2.1 or 2.25 tire would have given.

Crank Brothers Egg Beater 11 Ti pedals were chosen again for their light weight.  Their ability to clear mud is great in cyclocross, but in a super-dry cross country race that didn't matter at all.

My favorite saddle of all time, but custom.  Fizik's custom program is awesome when you get in on it, it's quick and doesn't add an extraordinary cost to the saddle.  The Aliante has made it's way onto all of my bikes at this point, and even after 8+ hours in the saddle I didn't have a single saddle sore, no numbness at all, and no chafing.

The only cage anyone should trust, a King stainless.  King Ti is a nice touch, but it doesn't save much weight at all and gets really expensive.  The King stainless cage has a classic look and at $20 it has no match.  I've also never lost a single bottle when using one, which is the most important aspect.

Thomson X4 130x-10 stem has made it's way onto a number of my Niner bikes.  Puts me in a riding position I feel powerful and in control of the bike.  I also like knowing that it'll survive any situation I find myself in when on the trail.

Rock Shox has an excellent hydraulic lockout as part of the SID XX line.  I was skeptical at first, wondering why I'd need something other than a cable-actuated lockout, but once I used it I understood.  Smooth, light action to open your fork or lock it out.

Shimano brakes, XT to be specific currently.  They just can't be beat, and I've tried a lot of disc brakes.  Shimano has no equal in power, modulation, or ease of set-up.

Shimano XTR rear derailleur.  After 8+ hours and countless shifts in the sand, it still worked perfectly.  I didn't miss a single shift all day and after a quick wipe-down with a wet rag the derailleur looked brand new.

There you have it, my 2012 Lumberjack 100 race rig.  I'm not sure what 2013 will see me riding, maybe a Jet9 RDO or a Felt Edict 29?  We'll see.  If my fitness comes in better next year than this year, I'll probably go full-suspension.  Use my fitness to get me up the hills and let the extra squish get me downhill faster.  If my fitness comes in the same or less, I'll probably use a hard tail and hope it climbs fast enough to make up for that lack of fitness.

Lumberjack 100 Follow-up, Part 2

Part 2 is going to follow through a little photo montage of the weekend.  There are huge chunks missing since I wasn't taking a ton of pictures while racing (duh), but let me share a few things:

First, the pre-ride.  This time I DID have my phone with me to snap a couple of shots of the course.  Much of it looked just like this.  There were a few miles of sandy fire roads, and a TON of singletrack.

My wife was kind enough to grab a couple shots of Kenda course tape.  What we do without pictures of course tape!?

We missed some shots of the mass-start, which I can't help but to assume was fun to watch.  400 or so people buzzing down the road on knobbies at 25+ mph had to be kind of neat.

Luckily there were a few shots snapped coming in after lap 1.  Think it was a but dry and dusty out there?

Here's Rob coming in after lap 2.  Still in good spirits, it's all about getting out for lap 3.

Barry Wicks is a nice dude, but when someone is able to win a 100 mile MTB race in under 6:30 and have a smile on their face at the end I just want to punch them.

And then there's me, rumbling through the finish at 8:27.  Exhausted, but I had a great time up there.  I'll be back again.

In Stock: Tifosi Podium S Sunglasses

I'm not too proud to admit when I am wrong.  Well, I'm not to proud to admit whem n I'm wrong sometimes.  And I'm wrong here.  I've sworn by Oakley for years, but I've recently put them away to try out the Tifosi Podium S.  The "S" stands for small I assume since these are the more narrow of the two, the standard being the base Podium (no "S").

When you first lift these you'll notice how incredibly light they are.  I haven't had a chance to weigh them, but they are shockingly light.

Second thing I noticed was that the glasses come with three lenses, which is part of what sold them to me.  I've been thinking of using some rose-colored lenses for mountain biking for some time, I guess this is serendipitous.

After only a few rides with these glasses and I'm sold.  The frame-free lenses provide unparalleled sightlines.  The light weight provides glasses you can't even tell are there.  The rose lenses give incredible contrast.

Did I mention they retail for $70?

Welcome to Lumberjack 100!

The drive is done, the training is in the books, my bike is ready, now it's time to find out if my legs can make it. 

I've just returned from about 15 miles of riding on the course and it's exactly as I remember it.  Plenty of going up, a ton of sand, ferns galore, and a lot of fun.  This is my kind of trail riding, very little fear of smacking into a huge rock and a lot of speed.  The trail is very buffed out for the most part with the sand smoothing it out, but it's easy to find yourself drifting off the trail if you aren't paying attention.  Much like a cyclocross race, sand can push you around, and if you work too hard against it you'll end up on the ground.

For me, I've found a really smooth tread has made the trail feel fast and the smooth tread doesn't dig into sand.  If you stay light on the bike it glides through the sand and doesn't push you too much.

Enjoy these couple of photos, I wish I could have talked myself into stopping to take more.  The vast majority of the course looks just like this, smooth and fast.

Wish me luck tomorrow as I come back to this race.  Last year I was coming off of a nasty cold and the climbing got to me.  This year I am coming back to show myself I can do this.

I also want to wish all of my comrades out there the best of luck tomorrow.  Ride hard, have fun, and I'll see you at the finish.

New Build: ENVE XC 29er Carbon Clincher to American Classic Disc Hubs

Everything from basic 26" mountain wheels, bomber touring wheels, and even the occasional carbon mountain race wheelset, we build our fair share of wheels.  There are pros and cons to building wheels on a regular basis.  On the pro side I get to practice and improve my skills routinely.  On the cos side when it comes to building wheels for myself I usually rush through it to get it done.  I have an attitude when building my own wheels akin to stopping when they are "good enough" rather than done right.

This wheelset, after thinking about the components of it for quite some time, needed to be done right.  I don't build a ton of ENVE rims, but so far every one of them has been a pleasure.  They handle very high spoke tension, are perfectly finished inside and out, and are perfectly straight right out of the box.  To be honest, it's almost like cheating they build so nicely.

The rims came in at 379g and 381g, both under the claimed weight of 385g.  I love when manufacturers can actually be honest with their claimed weights.

Internal nipples aren't my favorite in any wheel, but I've grown to like building with them recently.  They offer a very secure connection between themselves and the nipple wrench which all but eliminates any opportunity for rounding a nipple.

Spokes are Sapim CX-Ray, an industry standard.  They are outrageously expensive, but in my opinion well worth it.  A bladed spoke won't offer any aerodynamic benefit on my XC wheelset, but it does allow me to easily hold the spoke straight while building to prevent any spoke wind-up.

Hubs are American Classic Disc.  This is a controversial choice, but not one made without much deliberation.  I would have preferred DT Swiss hubs, but the 240s front 15QR hub doesn't convert to a standard 9mm QR, and I hope to use these wheels for cyclocross, so I needed a hub that's convertible.  In strong contention were Chris King hubs, which are easily converted, but I had a strong ambition to build these wheels at or below 1400g and the King hubs wouldn't allow that.  Here is where the American Classic hubs shine: they are light, really light, and can be converted from 9mm QR to 15QR Maxle in the front, and many different rear axle configurations.  We have a winner.

Front hub came in at 118g, rear at 234g.  Claimed weights were 116g and 225g, front and rear respectively.

Here's the completed wheelset.  So close to managing the 1400g goal, I finished up at 1410g.  There are lighter wheelsets out there, many even cost less, but what those wheelsets really give up are stiffness.  Super-light alloy wheelsets are great to save weight, but those light rims are flexy and prone to denting (so I have found).

Lumberjack 100 Weather Update

This weekend will see my second attempt at The Lumberjack 100.  Last year I went into the race after 2 full weeks off of the bike and about a week in bed.  A nasty bug of some sort got me and left me out of the game.  I attempted the race, finished the first lap and started my second, but knew there was no way I'd finish and pulled the plug.

More recently, Coach Ted has had me training consistently, I've stayed healthy thus far, and am amped to give this another go.

Here's the weather forecast for this week, going into this weekend, in Cadillac:

Since this will (hopefully) be my first completed 100 mile MTB race, I'm in it to finish it.  Awesome weather means everyone will be fast, and I'm fine with that.  I want to get this one under my belt so I can come back next year and race it.

But, let's focus on next weekend first.....

New Build: Stan's NoTubes Crest 29 to DT Swiss 240s Mountain Wheels

When an email came in for a new Niner Air9 Carbon, I knew special wheels were needed.  This bike is going to a great home that already has a beautiful Independent Fabrication SSR that we built a while back.  That SSR is sporting some DT Swiss wheels we built (not pictured), and since the rider was so happy with them the natural choice was 240s hubs for this new build.

Actually, lets check out this IF SSR.  Custom paint all over, tons of little custom touches, Super Record:

Now you see where we were starting and why these wheels needed to be something nice.  The choice of a rear 240s hub is simple.  DT Swiss engagement and quality are well known, there's no debate there.  The front 240s hub is also a perfect match for the SID XX fork since it has a 15mm Maxle thru axle.

The wheels were built with DT Swiss Competition spokes laced 3x all the way around.  Competition spokes offer light weight and excellent durability and stiffness.  DT Swiss ProLoc black brass nipples were used to match the black theme and to provide a solid base to work from.

Rotors are Shimano IceTech XT, which in my opinion are setting a new standard.  I've never used a brake set that was so powerful and so functionally flawless.  They are a little heavier than some of their counterparts, but will more than make up for their weight with their unbelievable performance.

Cassette is also Shimano XT, an 11-36.  Wide range cassettes have opened the door to 2x10 drivetrains and Shimano has provided on that front.  With excellent shifting and a light action, XT shifting provides great feedback without too much effort placed on your thumbs.

The bare wheelset came in at 1,580g, about 30g lighter than I expected.  Always a welcome surprise!

Re-build: PowerTap SL+ Disc to Stan's NoTubes Crest 29

This is my personal rear wheel.  The original only lasted a couple of weeks, all due to my impatience.  I made it less than 10 minutes into a trail ride when I hit a piece of glass and cut a roughly 9mm slice in the tire.  When it didn't seal I decided to ride it back to the car flat.  That's when I clipped a rock and dented my rim.

It's held up well with a tube, actually.  But I strongly prefer tubeless, especially with a Stan's rim.  So I ordered a new Crest rim, and re-laced it.  About an hour later I was ready to roll with power on my mountain bike.

The PowerTap SL+ is laced 3x/3x to a NoTubes Crest 29 rim with black DT Swiss Revolution spokes and black DT Swiss ProLoc brass nipples.  The wheel is set up tubeless with Stan's Yellow Tape and ZTR valve.  Tire is a Maxxis Aspen 29x2.1.

Follow up: 2012 Giro Privateer Mountain Shoes

Another ride in, and another happy rider.  The Privateer continues to impress.

Looks like we may stock these in the near future, though most likely in black instead of white....you know, for the masses.  Not everyone is fancy enough for white mountain shoes, it takes a certain kind of lad.

First Rides: 2012 Giro Privateer Mountain Shoes

Fearless product tester and team rider Matt McDowell hits us with his first impressions of the Giro Privateer:

I think first and foremost should be the overall comfort of the shoe.  As someone who has had consistent shoe problems, the Giro's stand shoulders above the competition.  Out of the box they're definitely snug but not in a debilitating kind of way.  From the first moment you slip them on they do feel like an old pair of sneakers.  The only caveat I would add is that folks should invest in the insoles offered by Giro to shore up any arch issues they may have.  

The second feature that I love is the ratcheting system.  It's simply the nicest shoe ratchet I've used.  I've used the shoes on both short trail rides and a couple of longer rides.  Pushing 3 hours in the shoe did begin to elicit some hot spots, this could be due to the plastic outsole (as opposed to carbon), but overall I think these shoes are a perfect younger brother to the Giro Gauge.  

For the price point I don't think you can beat them plus they're white, that alone is a selling point.   At this point I don't see myself wearing anything other than Giro shoes.  

More as it comes in, but if these are anything like my Giro Gauge, they're only getting better!

On test: 2012 Giro Privateer

Love it or hate it, white shoes are fancy.  White MTB shoes may not stay white, but boy do they look good out of the box.  The Giro Privateer isn't a shoe we stock, though after checking this out that very well may change.  For $150 you get a killer shoe, but we'll spare the details for the next post.  For now, just look and wait for a real review.

Surly Pugsley Demo FOR SALE!

Starting now, and through this weekend, our Demo Pugsley is up for grabs.  It's a 20" frame (large), and has seen all of maybe 15 test/demo rides.

It has a few love scratches, but nothing major and nothing to worry about!

Here's the spec rundown:

Surly Pugsley Snowblind frame - 20"
SRAM X.9 rear shifter
SRAM X.9 rear derailleur
MRP chainguide (currently set up 1x10)
SRAM chain and cassette (11-36)
Surly Mr. Whirley crankset
Custom SRAM X.9 wheelset laced to Rolling Darryl rims front and rear
Avid Elixir 5 white disc brakes
Surly Larry/Endomorph tires (127tpi...the good ones)
Surly white rim strips
Thomson seatpost and stem
EDGE carbon riser bar

Demo saddle and lights are not included.

MSRP is $3300, get it for less than a stock Pug, this weekend only, for $1400!

Niner Jet9 RDO Carbon IN STOCK!

Yes, we have one.  And only one.  It's a large, licorice, Jet9 RDO Carbon.  Don't want to wait months for your own?  Give us a shout.  Orders for other colors or sizes placed now aren't expected to arrive until well into spring.

Best of luck finding another one!

Contact us for pricing....